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THE HUDSON 

Three Centuries of 
History, Romance and Invention 



•. .^ > 



BY WALLACE BRUCE 



Centennial Edition 



Published by 
BRYANT UNION COMPANY 
NEW YORK 






Uo«ARY of COf<>«BRFSS 
Iwo Coottj? Received 

OCT in 90? 

A Conynffht Ertrv 

T877V7 



Copyright 1907 by Wallace Bruce 



CONTENTS 



CENTENNIAL GREETING. 

PAGE 

History, Romance and Invention 9-39 

An Open Book 10 

The Hudson and the Rhine 11 

The Half Moon 12 

Its Discovery 15 

First Description i^ 

Names of the Hudson 1« 

. Hills and Mountains j^ 

^- Sources of the Hudson ^^ 

First Settlement j" 

The West India Company ^^ 

Original Manors and Patents ^^ 

The Dutch and the English ^^ 

New Amsterdam 26 

New York 28 

Sons of Liberty oq 

Greater New York '. 

Hudson River Steamboats '^^ 

Day Line Steamers oo 

The Old Reaches oS 

Five Divisions of the Hudson 



NEW YORK TO ALBANY. 
Desbrosses Street Pier to Forty-Second Street. . . 41-43 

Historic River Front ^j 

A Great Panorama • • • J^ 

Statue of Liberty— Stevens Castle ^^ 

Forty-Second to One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth. 43-48 

Weehawken, Hamilton and Burr |^ 

Riverside Drive and Park |^ 

Columbia University .^ 

General Grant's Tomb 

8 



Contents page 

One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth St. to Yonkers 49-50 

Washington Heights 49 

The Palisades 52 

Island of Manhattan 56 

Spuyten Duyvel Creek 57 

Yonkers 58 

Yonkers to West Point 59-96 

Hastings and Dobbs Ferry 60 

Tappan Zee and Piermont 61 

Irvington and "Sunnyside" 62 

Washington Irving 63 

The Headless Horseman 66 

Tarrytown and Tappan 67 

Sleepy Hollow 70 

Nyack 72 

Ossining 73 

Croton River and Reservoir 74 I 

Haverstraw 75 

Stony Point 77 

Peekskill 79 

Story of Captain Kidd 80 

The Highlands 81 

Dunderberg 82 

Anthony's Nose 83 

Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery 84 

Beverley House 87 

Arnold's Flight 88 

Buttermilk Falls 91 

West Point Military Academy 92 

Plateau Buildings and Memorials 93-94 

Fort Putnam 95 

West Point to Newburgh 97-104 

Northern Gate of Highlands 98 

"Undercliff " 99 

Storm King 100 

Cornwall and "Idlewild" 102 

Newburgh to Poughkeepsie 104-128 

Washington's Headquarters 104 

Refusing the Crown 105 

Suffering of Soldiers 106 

Cessation of Hostilities 107 

1- 



PAGE 

Marquis de Lafayette 109 

Centennial Celebration 110 

Fishkill 113 

Duyvel's Dans Kammev Ho 

"Locust Grove" 11^ 

The Storm Ship 120 

Poughkeepsie I'^l 

POUGHKEEPSIE TO KINGSTON -^^^"i on 

Hyde Park 130 

Mount Hymettus ^^^ 

Rhinecliff |35 

City of Kingston j^g 

The Senate House l^» 

The Southern Catskills 14^ 

Kingston to Catskill ■^'^^"i^S 

Montgomery Place |^^ 

Story of Steam Navigation I4y 

Robert Fulton 1^2 

The "Clermont" 152 

Tivoli ]l^ 

Saugerties . . ♦ ^^^ 

The Livingston Country ^^' 

The "Shad Industry" 158 

Germantown 1^0 

Man in the Mountain 1^1 

New York City Water Supply 1^^ 

The Clover Reach 1^3 

Catskill 1^4 

Otis Elevating Railway 1^5 

Catskill to Hudson 169-172 

Hudson 169 

Columbia County I'O 

Claverack and Hillsdale I'^l 

Hudson to Albany "^^^"iSq 

Athens 1 '3 

The Ice Industry 1|^3 

Anthony Van Corlear 1 '" 

The Mahican Tribe l'^^ 

The Mahicans, Delawares and Iroquois 178 

The Old Van Rensselaer House 180 

Albany 181 



Contents 



Contents ^"^"^ ''''''^^ ''"°^'*''- 

^^ "^ Albany to Saratoga 18G-191 

Saratoga 187 

Historic Saratoga 189 

Mount McGregor 190 

Saratoga to the Adirondacks 191-201 

Saratoga to Lake George 192 

Lake George to the Adirondacks 197-201 

Ticonderoga 198 

Bluff Point 199 

Plattsburgh and the Saranacs 201 

Source of the Hudson 201-210 

The Tahawas Club 202 

The Upper Ausable 203 

Haystack and Camp Golden 204 

The Deserted Village 205 

Indian Pass 206 

Tahawas 210 

Geology, Tides and Condensed Points 211-224 

Geological Formation 211-215 

The Hudson Tide 215 

Condensed Points — New York to Albany. .. 216-224 



■^ 






1907—1909 

CENTENNIAL GREETING 

Hendrick Hudson and Hohert Fulton are closely 
associated 271 the history of our river ^ and more par - 
ticidarly at this time^ as the dates of their achieve- 
ments unite the centennial of the first successful 
steamer In 1807^ loith the trl-centennial of the dis- 
covery of the river in 1609. In fact^ these three cen- 
turies of namgation^ vnth rapidly increasing develop- 
ment m later years,, might he graphically condensed — 

"Half Moon," 1609; ''Clermont," 1807; 
"Hendrick Hudson/' 1906. 

Singidarly enough the dlscovejy of Ilendrich Hud- 
son,, and the inveniioyi of Robert Fulton are also sim- 
ilar in having many adverse claimants who forget the 
difference hetween attempt and accomplishment. 

Everyone knoivs that Venrizajio entered the Nar- 
rows and harhor of our river in IB^If,., and sailed far 
enough to see the outline of the Palisades,' that Gomez 
visited its mouth in 1526; Cahot still earlier in lJ/98; 
and various Norsemen,, named and nameless^ for sev- 
eral centuries hefore them., coasted along the shore and 
indenture of the ^^Blver oftheManhattoes/'' hut failed 
to acquire or transmit any knowledge of the river'' s 
real course or character^ and it vms left for Hendriclc 

7 

A century vast of Hudson-fame ' 

Which Irving's fancy seals; 
Whose ripples murmur Morse's name 

And flash to Fulton's wheels. 

Wallace Bruce. 



Centennial Hudson to he Its first voyager and therehy to hme and 
©reetinff to hold against all comers the glory of discovery. 

So Rolert Fulton had several predecessors in the 
ulea of applying steam to navigation— John Fitch in 
1785, William Symington in 1788 and many others 
who likewise coasted along the shore and indenture of 
a great idea, marled hy continual faUure and final 
alando7iment. It was reserved for Fulton to complete 
and stamp iipon his labor the seal of service and suc- 
cess and to stand, therefore, its accepted inventor. 
In addition to the invention of Fulton who has 
contributed so much to the business and brotherhood of 
mankind, the telegraph of Morse occupies a prominent 
page of our Hudson history, and it is said that Morse 
left unfinished a novel, the incidents of which were 
associated with the Highlands, in order to work out 
hu idea which gave the Hudson a grander chapter. 

Fulton's and Moi^se's inventions are also happily 
associated in this, that the steamboat was necessary 
before the Atlantic cable, bmm of Morse's invention, 
coidd be laid, and, singularly enough, the laying of 
the cable, largely promoted by Hudson River genius 
and capital, by Field, Cooper, Morse and others on 
August 5, 1857, marks the very middle of the cen- 
tennial which we are noio observing. 



A cycle grand with wonders fraught 
That triumph over time and spVce; 

In woven steel its dreams are wrought, 
The nations whisper face to face 

Wallace Bruce. 




Htndnck Hudson" s '^ Half Moon" 



THE HUDSON 



Among all the rivers of the world the Hudson is 
acknowledged queen, decked with romance, jewelled with 
poetry, clad with history, and crowned with beauty. 
More than this, the Hudson is a noble threshold to a 
great continent and New York Bay a fitting portal. 
The traveler who enters the Narrows for the first time 
is impressed with wonder, and the charm abides even 
with those who pass daily to and fro amid her beauties. 
No other river approaches the Hudson in varied grandeur 
and sublimity, and no other city has so grand and com- 
modious a harbor as New York. It has been the 
privilege of the writer of this hand-book to see again 
and again most of the streams of the old world *' re- 
nowned in song and story," to behold sunrise on the 
Bay of Naples and sunset at the Golden Gate of San 
Francisco, but the spell of the Hudson remains unbroken, 
and the bright bay at her mouth reflects the noontide 
without a rival. To pass a day in her company, rich 



A very good land to fall in with and a pleasant land 
to see ! 

Hendrick Hudson. 



Ritjer 



lei 



^ht ^^^^ ^^^ story and glory of three hundred years, is wort 

^ a trip across a continent, and it is no wonder that th . lot 

r^UD0On European traveler says again and again: "to see the§jr 
Hudson alone, is worth a voyage across the Atlantic." 

How like a great volume of history romance and poetry|![ii( 
seem her bright illumined pages with the broad river 
lying as a crystal book-mark between her open leaves I 
And how real this idea becomes to the Day Line tourist, 
with the record of Washington and Hamilton for itsi 
opening sentence, as he leaves the Up-Town landing, and 
catches messages from Fort Washington and Fort Lee i 
What Indian legends cluster about the brow of Indiai 
Head blending with the love story of Mary Phillipse a 
the Manor House of Yonkers. How Irving's vision of 
Katrina and Sleepy Hollow become woven with the 
courage of Paulding and the capture of Andre at Tarry- 
town. How the Southern Portal of the Highlands stands 
sentineled by Stony Point, a humble crag converted bviB 
the courage of Anthony Wayne into a mountain pea' p 
of Liberty. 

How North and South Beacon again summon thv: 
Hudson yeomen from harvest fields to the defense of 
country, while Fort Putnam, still eloquent in her ruins, 
looks down upon the best drilled boys in the world l 
West Point. Further on Newburgh, Poughkeepsie anu 
Kingston shake fraternal hands in the abiding trinity of 
Washington, Hamilton and Clinton, while northward rise 
the Ontioras where Rip Van Winkle slept, and woke to 
wonder at the happenings of twenty years. 

What stories of silent valleys told by murmuring 
streams from the Berkshire Hills and far away fields 
where Stark and Ethan Allen triumphed. What tales of 
Cooper, where the Mohawk entwines her fingers with 
those of the Susquehanna, and poems of Longfellow, 
Bryant and Holmes, of Dwight, of Halleck and of Drake; 
ay, and of Yankee Doodle too, written at the Old Van 
Rensselaer House almost within a pebble-throw of the 



10 



Roll on ! Roll on ! 
Thou river of the North ! Tell thou to all 
The isles, tell thou to all the Continents 
The grandeur of my land. 

William Wallace. 



Earner as it approaches Albany. What a wonderful 

?>ok of history and beauty, all to be read m one days ^J 

durney! I0UD0On 

The Hudson has often been styled "The Rhine ^^ , 
America " There is, however, little of similarity and \^\WC\ 
fluch of contrast. The Rhine from Dusseldorf to Man- 
iWm is only twelve hundred to fifteen hundred feet m 
)readth The Hudson from New York to Albany aver- 
ifees more than five thousand feet from bank to bank. 
^t Tappan Zee the Hudson is ten times as wide as the 
^hine at any point above Cologne. At Bonn the Rhine 
4^ barely one-third of a mile, whereas the Hudson at 
Javerstraw Bay is over four miles in width. The average 
.>i-eadth of the Hudson from New York to Poughkeepsie 
is almost eight thousand feet. 

The mountains of the Rhine also lack the imposmg 
■fearacter of the Highlands. The far-famed Drachenfels, 
fte Landskron, and the Stenzleburg are only seven hun- 
"=>ied and fifty feet above the river; the Alteberg eight 
r.undred the Rosenau nine hundred, and the great Oelberg 
iMrteen hundred and sixty-two. According to the latest 
TJnited States Geological Survey the entire group of 
.mountains at the northern gate of the Highlands is 
;am fourteen hundred to sixteen hundred and twenty- 
liire feet in height, not to speak of the Catskills from 
three thousand to almost four thousand feet m altitude 
It is not the fault of the Rhine with its nine hundred 
„ miles of rapid flow that it looks tame compared with the 
Hudson. Even the Mississippi, draining a valley three 
ng thousand miles in extent, looks insignificant at St. Louis 
ds or New Orleans contrasted with the Hudson at Tarry- 
of town. The Hudson is in fact a vast estuary of the 
■X\ sea; the tide rises two feet at Albany and six inches 
,w at Troy. A professor of the Berlin University says: 
,e' "You lack our castles but the Hudson is mfinitely 
'ai grander." Thackeray, in "The Virginians," gives the 
P ludson the verdict of beauty; and George William Curtis, 

I have been up and down the Hudson by water The 
entire river is pretty, but the glory of the Hudson is at 
^"* P**'"*- Anthony Trollope. 



ttS, 



^1^ comparing the Hudson with the rivers of the Old World, 

^"^ has gracefully said: ''The Danube has in part glimpses 

K)UD0On ^^ &uch grandeur, the Elbe has sometimes such deli- 
, cately penciled effects, but no European river is so lordly| 

tvIuCr in its bearing, none flows in such state to the sea." 

Baedeker, a high and just authority, in his recent Guide] 
to the United States says : " The Hudson has sometimes] 
oeen called the American Rhine, but that title perhaps.] 
does injustice to both rivers. The Hudson, through m 
great part of its extent, is three or four times as wide[ 
as the Rhine, and its scenery is grander and more in-* 
spiring; while, though it lacks the ruined castles and' 
ancient towns of the German river, it is by no means 
devoid of historical associations of a more recent char- 
acter. The vine-clad slopes of the Rhine have, too, no 
ineffective substitute in the brilliant autumn coloring of 
the timbered hillsides of the Hudson." 

What must have been the sensation of those early 
voyagers, coasting a new continent, as they halted at 
the noble gateway of the river and gazed northward 
along the green fringed Palisades; or of Hendrick Hud- 
son, who first traversed its waters from Manhattan to 
the ]\Iohawk, as he looked up from the chubby bow of his 
" Half Moon " at the massive columnar formation of the 
Palisades or at the great mountains of the Highlands; 
what dreams of success, apparently within reach, were 
his, when night came down in those deep forest solitudes 
under the shadowy base of Old Cro' N'est and Klinker- 
berg Mountain, where his little craft seemed a lone cradle 
of civilization; and then, when at last, with immediate 
purpose foiled, he turned his boat southward, having dis- 
covered, but without knowing it, something infinitely 
more valuable to future history than his long-sought 
" Northwestern Passage to China," how he must have 
gazed with blended wonder and awe at the distant Cats- 
kills as their sharp lines came out, as we have seen them 
many a September morning, bold and clear along the 

12 

A stately stream around which as around 
The German Rhine hover mystic shapes. 

Richard Burton 



'lorizon, and learned in gentle reveries the poetic mean- ^f)0 

ng of the blue Ontioras or *' Mountains of the Sky." How 

ondly he must have gazed on the picturesque hills l3Uu0On 

ibove Apokeepsing and listened to the murmuring "^^^sicr^ jyip*. 

)f Winnikee Creek, when the air was clear as crystal 
md the banks seemed to be brought nearer, perfectly 
•eflected in the glassy surface, while here and there his 
lye wandered over grassy uplands, and rested on hills 
)f maize in shock, looking for all the world like mimic 
mcampments of Indian wigwams! Then as October 
:ame with tints which no European eye had ever seen, 
md sprinkled the hill-tops with gold and russet, he must 
ndeed have felt that he was living an enchanted life, or 
iourneying in a fairy land! 

How graphically the poet Willis has put the picture 
in musical prose : " Fancy the bold Englishman, as the 
Dutch called Hendrick Hudson, steering his little yacht 
the * Haalve Maan,' for the first time through the High- 
lands. Imagine his anxiety for the channel forgotten, 
as he gazed up at the towering rocks, and round tiie 
^reen shores, and onward past point and opening bend, 
miles away into the heart of the country; yet with no 
lessening of the glorious stream before him and no 
decrease of promise in the bold and luxuriant shores. 
Picture him lying at anchor below Newburgh with the 
^' dark pass of the Wey-Gat frowning behind him, the 
' .lofty and blue Catskills beyond, and the hillsides around 
\ covered with lords of the soil exhibiting only less wonder 
' than friendliness." 

If Willis forgot the season of the year and left out the 
landscape glow which the voyager saw, Talmage com- 
pleted the picture in a rainbow paragraph of color: 
"Along our river and up and down the sides of the great 
hills there was an indescribable mingling of gold, and 
orange and crimson and saffron, now sobering into drab 
and maroon, now flaring up into solferino and scarlet. 
Here and there the trees looked as if their tips had blos- 

^o fair yon haven clasped its isles, in such a sunset 1,3 

gleam, 
When Hendrick and his sea-worn tars first sounded up 

the stream. 

Robert C. Sands. 



\Zvt somed into fire. In the morning light the forests seemed 

ihllllfintt ^^ ^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ transfigured and in the evening hours 

^ they looked as if the sunset had burst and dropped upon 

l^it)0t the leaves. It seemed as if the sea of divine glory had 

dashed its surf to the top of the crags and it had come 

dripping down to the lowest leaf and deepest cavern." 

On such a day in 1883 it was the privilege of the 
writer to stand before 150,000 people at Newburgh on 
the occasion of the Centennial Celebration of the Dis- 
banding of the Army under Washington, and, in his poem 
entitled " The Long Drama," to portray the great moun- 
tain background bounding the southern horizon with 
autumnal splendor : 

October lifts with colors bright 

Her mountain canvas to the sky, 
The crimson trees aglow with light 

Unto our banners wave reply. 

Like Horeb's bush the leaves repeat 

From lips of flame with glory crowned : — 

" Put off thy shoes from off thy feet, 
The place they trod is holy ground." 

Such was the vision Hendrick Hudson must have had 
in those far-off September and October days, and such 
the picture which visitors still compass long distances 
to behold. 

" It is a far cry to Loch Awe " says an old Scottish 
proverb, and it is a long step from the sleepy rail of 
the " Half Moon " to the roomy-decked floating palaces — 
the " Hendrick Hudson," the *' New York " and the "Al- 
bany." Before beginning our journey let us, therefore, 
bridge the distance with a few intermediate facts, from 
1609, relating to the discovery of the river, its early 
settlement, its old reaches and other points essential to 
the fullest enjoyment of our trip, which in sailor-parlance 
might be styled "a gang-plank of history," reaching as 
it does from the old-time yacht to the modern steamer, 
and spanning three hundred years. 

, A The prow of the "Half-Moon" has left a broadening 

^^ wake whose ripples have written an indelible history, 

not only along the Hudson's shores, but have left their 

imprint on kingdoms over the sea. 

William Wait. 



Its Discovery. — In the year 1524, thirty-two years after 
the discovery of America, the navigator Verrazano, a 
French officer, anchored off the island of Manhattan and 
proceeded a short distance up the river. The following 
year, Gomez, a Portuguese in the employ of Spain, 
coasted along the continent and entered the Narrows. 
Several sea-rovers also visited our noble bay about 
1598, but it was reserved for Hendrick Hudson, with a 
mixed crew of eighteen or twenty men in the " Half 
Moon," to explore the river from Sandy Hook to Albany, 
and carry back to Europe a description of its beauty. 
He had previously made two fruitless voyages for the 
Muscovy Company — an English corporation — in quest of 
a passage to China, via the North Pole and Nova Zembla. 

In the autumn of 1608 he was called to Amsterdam, 
and sailed from Texel, April 5, 1609, in the service of 
the Dutch East India Company. Reaching Greenland he 
coasted southward, arriving at Cape Cod August 6th, 
Chesapeake Bay August 28th, and then sailed north to 
Sandy Hook. He entered the Bay of New York Sep- 
tember the 3d, passed through the Narrows, and anchored 
in what is now called Newark Bay; on the 12th resumed 
his voyage, and, drifting with the tide, remained over 
night on the 13th about three miles above the northern 
end of Manhattan Island; on the 14th sailed through 
what is now known as Tappan Zee and Haverstraw Bay, 
entered the Highlands and anchored for the night near 
the present dock of West Point. On the morning of 
the 15th beheld Newburgh Bay, reached Catskill on the 
16th, Athens on the 17th, Castleton and Albany on the 
18th, and sent out an exploring boat as far as Water- 
ford. He became thoroughly satisfied that this route did 
not lead to China — a conclusion in harmony with that of 
Champlain, who, the same summer, had been making 
his way south, through Lake Champlain and Lake George, 
in quest of the South Sea. 



mighty river of the North! Thy lips meet ocean 
here, and in deep joy he lifts his great white brow, and 
gives his stormy voice a milder tone. 

William Wallace. 



15 



KiUer 






There is something humorous in the idea of these old 
mariners attempting to sail through a continent 3,000 
miles wide, seamed with mountain chains from 2,000 to 
15,000 feet in height. Hudson's return voyage began 
September 23d. He anchored again in Newburgh Bay 
the 25th, arrived at Stony Point October 1st, reached 
Sandy Hook the 4th, and returned to Europe. 

First Description of the Hudson. — The official record 
of the voyage was kept by Robert Juet, mate of the " Half 
Moon," and his journal abounds with graphic and pleasing 
incidents as to the people and their customs. At the 
Narrows the Indians visited the vessel, " clothed in 
mantles oi feathers and robes of fur, the women clothed 
in hemp; red copper tobacco pipes, and other things of 
copper, they did wear about their necks." At Yonkers 
they came on board in great numbers. Two were de- 
tained and dressed in red coats, but they sprang over- 
board and swam away. At Catskill they found " a very 
loving people, and very old men. They brought to the 
ship Indian corn, pumpkins and tobaccos." Near Scho- 
dack the " Master's mate went on land with an old savage, 
governor of the country, who carried him to his house 
and made him good cheere." " I sailed to the shore," he 
writes, *' in one of their canoes, with an old man, who 
was chief of a tribe, consisting of forty men and seven- 
teen women. These I saw there in a house well con- 
structed of oak bark, and circular in shape, so that it 
has the appearance of being built with an arched roof. 
It contained a large quantity of corn and beans of last 
year's growth, and there lay near the house, for the pur- 
pose of drying, enough to load three ships, besides what 
was growing in the fields. On our coming to the house 
two mats were spread out to sit upon, and some food 
was immediately served in well-made wooden bowls." 

" Two men were also dispatched at once, with bows 
and arrows in quest of game, who soon brought in a 
pair of pigeons, which they had shot. They likewise 



16 



Down whose waterways the wings of poetry and ro- 
lance like magic sails bear the awakened souls of men. 

Richard Burton. 



killed a fat dog, (probably a black bear), and skinned ^^0 

it in great haste, with shells which they had got out r>\||f|ryrt|* 

of the water." ■^ 

The well-known hospitality of the Hudson River valley I^J^^t 
has, therefore, " high antiquity " in this record of the 
garrulous writer. At Albany the Indians flocked to the 
vessel, and Hudson determined to try the chiefs to see 
" whether they had any treachery in them." '* So they 
took them down into the cabin, and gave them so much 
wine and aqua vitae that they were all merry. In the 
end one of them was drunk, and they could not tell how 
to take it." The old chief, who took the aqua vitae, was 
so grateful when he awoke the next day, that he showed 
them all the country, and gave them venison. 

Passing down through the Highlands the " Half Moon " 
was becalmed near Stony Point and the " people of the 
Mountains " came on board and marvelled at the ship 
and its equipment. One canoe kept hanging under the 
stern and an Indian pilfered a pillow and two shirts 
from the cabin windows. The mate shot him in the breast 
and killed him. A boat was lowered to recover the 
articles " when one of them in the water seized hold 
of it to overthrow it, but the cook seized a sword and 
cut off one of his hands and he was drowned." At the 
head of Manhattan Island the vessel was again attacked. 
Arrows were shot and two more Indians were killed, then 
the attack was renewed and two more were slain. 

It might also be stated that soon after the arrival of 
Hendrick Hudson at the mouth of the river one of the 
English soldiers, John Coleman, was killed by an arrow 
shot in the throat. " He was buried," according to Rut- 
tenber, " upon the adjacent beach, the first European 
victim of an Indian weapon on the Mahicanituk. Cole- 
man's point is the monument to this occurrence." 

The " Half Moon " never returned and it will be remem- 
bered that Hudson never again saw the river that he 
discovered. He was to leave his name however as a 



The sea just peering the headlands through 
Where the sky is lost in deeper blue. 

Charles Fenno Hoffman. 



17 



2Dj)C monument to further adventure and hardihood in Hud- 

Ihtthantt ^^^'^ ^^^' ^^^^^ ^^ ^^^ cruelly set adrift by a mutinous 
xpUCl»On ^.j.g^ jj^ ^ ji^^jg j3Q^I- ^Q perish in the midsummer of 1611. 
iilit)0t Names of the Hudson.— The Iroquois called the river 

the " Cohatatea." The Mahicans and Lenapes the " Mahi- 
canituk," or " the ever-flowing waters." Verrazano in 
1524 styled it Rio de Montaigne. Gomez in 1525 Rio San 
Antonio. Hudson styled it the " Manhattes " from the 
tribe at its mouth. The Dutch named it the " Mauritius," 
in 1611, in honor of Prince Maurice of Nassau, and 
afterwards '* the Great River." It has also been referred 
to as the " Shatemuck " in verse. It was called " Hud- 
son's River " not by the Dutch, as generally stated, but 
by the English, as Hudson was an Englishman, although 
he sailed from a Dutch port, with a Dutch crew, and 
a Dutch vessel. It was also called the " North River," 
to distinguish it from the Delaware, the South River. 
It is still frequently so styled, and the East River almost 
" boxes the compass " as applied to Long Island Sound. 
Height of Hills and Mountains.— It is interesting to 
hear the opinions of different people journeying up and 
down the Hudson as to the height of mountains along 
the river. The Palisades are almost always under-esti- 
mated, probably on account of their distance from the 
steamer. It is only when we consider the size of a house 
at their base, or the mast of a sloop anchored near the 
shore, that we can fairly judge of their magnitude. 
Various guides, put together in a day or a month, by 
writers who have made a single journey, or by persons 
who have never consulted an authority, have gone on 
multiplying blunder upon blunder, but the United States 
Geological Survey furnishes reliable information. Ac- 
cording to their maps the Palisades are from 300 to 500 
feet in height, the Highlands from 785 to 1625, and the 
Catskills from 3000 to 3885 feet. 



18 Beneath the cliffs the river steals 

In darksome eddies to the shore, 
But midway every sail reveals 
Reflected on its crystal floor. 

Henry T. Tuckerman. 



THE PALISADES. 

At Fort Lee 300 feet. 

Opposite Mt. St. Vincent 400 " 

Opposite Hastings 500 " 

THE HIGHLANDS. 

Sugar Loaf 785 feet. 

Duuderberg 865 

Antliony's Nose 900 

Storm King 1368 

Old Cro' Nest 1405 

Bull Hill 1425 

South Beacon 1625 

THE CATSKILLS. 

North Mountain 3000 feet. 

Plaaterkill 3135 " 

Outlook 3150 " 

Stoppel Point 3426 " 

Round Top 2470 " 

High Peak 3660 " 

Sugar Loaf 3782 " 

Plateau 3855 " 

Sources of the Hudson. — The Hudson rises in the Adi- 
rondacks, and is formed by two short branches. The 
northern branch (17 miles in length), has its source in 
Indian Pass, at the base of Mount Mclntyre; the eastern 
branch, in a little lake poetically called the " Tear of 
the Clouds," 4,321 feet above the sea under the summit 
of Tahawus, the noblest mountain of the Adirondacks, 
5,344 feet in height. About thirty miles below the junc- 
tion it takes the waters of Boreas River, and in the 
southern part of Warren County, nine miles east of 
Lake George, the tribute of the Schroon. About fifteen 
miles north of Saratoga it receives the waters of the 
Sacandaga, then the streams of the Battenkill and the 
Walloomsac; and a short distance above Troy its largest 
tributary, the Mohawk. The tide rises six inches at 
Troy and two feet at Albany, and from Troy to New 
York, a distance of one hundred and fifty miles, the river 
is navigable by large steamboats. 



Cfte 



Of grottoes in the far dim woods, 
Of pools moss-rimmed and deep, 

From whose embrace the little rills 
In daring venture creep. 

E. A. 



19 



kLTjC The principal streams which flow into the Hudson be 

l^UD0On tween Albany and New York are the Norman's Kill, on 
west bank, two miles south of Albany; the Mourdener's 
KitJCt Kill, at Castleton, eight miles below Albany, on the east 

bank; Coxsackie Creek, on west bank, seventeen miles 
below Albany; Kinderhook Creek, six miles north of Hud- 
son; Catskill Creek, six miles south of Hudson; Roeliffe 
Jansen's Creek, on east bank, seven miles south of Hud- 
son; the Esopus Creek, which empties at Saugerties; the 
Rondout Creek, at Rondout; the Wappingers, at New 
Hamburgh; the Fishkill, at Matteawan, opposite New- 
burgh ; the Peekskill Creek, and Croton River. The course 
of the river is nearly north and south, and drains a 
comparatively narrow valley. 

It is emphatically the " River of the Mountains," as it 
rises in the Adirondacks, flows seaward east of the Hel- 
derbergs, the Catskill s, the Shawangunks, through twenty 
miles of the Highlands and along the base of the Pali- 
sades. More than any other river it preserves the char- 
acter of its origin, and the following apostrophe from 
the writer's poem, ** The Hudson," condenses its continu- 
ous " mountain-and-lake-like " quality: 

O Hudson, mountain-born and free, 
Thy youth a deep impression takes, 

For, mountain-guarded to the sea, 
Thy course is but a chain of lakes. 

The First Settlement of the Hudson. — In 1610 a Dutch 
ship visited Manhattan to trade with the Indians and 
was soon followed by others on like enterprise. In 1613 
Adrian Block came with a few comrades and remained 
the winter. In 1614 the merchants of North Holland 
organized a company and obtained from the States Gen- 
eral a charter to trade in the New Netherlands, and 
soon after a colony built a few houses and a fort near 
the Battery. The entire island was purchased from the 
Indians in 1624 for the sum of sixty guilders or about 



I 



20 



Where' Manhattan reigned of. old 
Long before the age of gold 
In the fair encircled isle 
Formed for beauty's warmest smile. 

William Crow. 



twenty-four dollars. A fort was built at Albany in 1623 frr'U^ 
and known as Fort Aurania or Fort Orange. From Was- ^^*"^ 
senaer's " Historie van Europa," 1621-1632, as translated lbU00On 
in the 3d volume of the Documentary History of New 
York, a castle — Fort Nassau — was built in 1624, on an iiilUvt 
island on the north side of the River Montagne, now 
called Mauritius. " But as the natives there were some- 
what discontented, and not easily managed, the projectors 
abandoned it, intending now to plant a colony among the 
Maikans (Mahicans), a nation lying twenty-five miles 
(American measure seventy-five miles) on both sides of 
the river, upwards." In another document we learn that 
" The West India Company being chartered, a vessel of 130 
lasts, called the * New Netherland * (whereof Cornelius 
Jacobs, of Hoorn, was skipper), with thirty families, 
mostly Walloons, was equipped in the spring of 1623." 

In the beginning of May they entered the Hudson, found 
a " Frenchman " lying in the mouth of the river, who 
would erect the arms of the King of France there, but 
the Hollanders would not permit him, opposing it by com- 
mission from the Lord's States General and the Directors 
of the West India Company, and " in order not to be 
frustrated therein, they convoyed the Frenchman out of 
the rivers." This having been done, they sailed up the 
Maikans, 140 miles, near which they built and completed 
a fort, named ''Orange," with four bastions, on an island, 
by them called " Castle Island." This was probably the 
island below Castleton, now known as Baern Island, where 
the first white child was born on the Hudson. 

In another volume we read that " a colony was planted 
in 1625 on the Manhetes Island, where a fort was staked 
out by Master Kryn Fredericke, an engineer. The count- 
ing-house is kept in a stone building thatched with reed; 
the other houses are of the bark of trees. There are 
thirty ordinary houses on the east side of the river, 
which runs nearly north and south." This is the descrip- 
tion of New York City when Charles the First was King. 

Behold the natural advantages of our State; the situ- oj 

ation of our principal seaport; the facility that the 
Sound affords for an intercourse with the East, and the 
noble Hudson which bears upon its bosom the wealth 
of the remotest part of the State. 

Robert R. Livingston. 



C6e 



Moreover, we should not forget that Communipaw out- 
ranks New York in antiquity, and, according to Knicker- 
bocker, whose quiet humor is always read and re-read 
with pleasure, might justly be considered the Mother 
Colony. For lo! the sage Olorfe Van Kortlandt dreamed 
a dream, and the good St. Nicholas came riding over 







OLOFFE VAN KORTlvANDT'S DREAM. 

the tops of the trees, and descended upon the island of 
Manhattan and sat himself down and smoked, " and the 
smoke ascended in the sky, and formed a cloud overhead; 
and Oloffe bethought him, and he hastened and climbed 
up to the top ol one of the tallest trees, and saw that 
the smoke spread over a great extent of country; and, 
as he considered it more attentively, he fancied that the 
great volume assumed a variety of marvelous forms, 
where, in dim obscurity, he saw shadowed out palaces 
and domes and lofty spires, all of which lasted but a 
moment, and then passed away." So New York, like 
Alba Longa and Rome, and other cities of antiquity, was 



22 



Below the cliffs Manhattan's spires 
Glint back the sunset's latest beam; 

The bay is flecked with twinkling fires; 
Or is it but "Van Kortlandt's dream?" 

Wallace Bruce. 



under the immediate care of its tutelar saint. Its destiny ^Up> 
was foreshadowed, for now the palaces and domes and ^ 
lofty spires are real and genuine, and something more J^UDSPU 
than dreams are made of. ;|^ ,. 

The Original Manors and Patents. — According to a ^i^lDd 
map of the Province of New York, published in 1779, 
the Phillipsburg Patent embraced a large part of West- 
chester County. North of this was the Manor of Cort- 
land, reaching from Tarrytown to Anthony's Nose. Above 
this was the Phillipse Patent, reaching to the mouth of 
Fishkill Creek, embracing Putnam County. Between Fish- 
kill Creek and the Wappingers Creek was the Rombout 
Patent. The Schuyler Patent embraced a few square 
miles in the vicinity of Poughkeepsie. Above this was 
the purchase of Falconer & Company, and east of this 
tract what was known as the Great Nine Partners. Above 
the Falconer Purchase was the Henry Beekman Patent, 
reaching to Esopus Island, and east of this the Little 
Nine Partners. Above the Beekman Patent was the 
Schuyler Patent. Then the Manor of Livingston, reach- 
ing from Rhinebeck to Catskill Station, opposite Catskill. 
Above this Rensselaerwick, reaching north to a point 
opposite Coeymans. The Manor of Rensselaer extended 
on both sides of the river to a line running nearly east 
and west, just above Troy. North and west of this 
Manor was the County of Albany, since divided into 
Rensselaer, Saratoga, Washington, Schoharie, Greene and 
Albany. The Rensselaer Manor was the only one that 
reached across the river. The west bank of the Hudson, 
below the Rensselaer Manor, is simply indicated on this 
map of 1779 as Ulster and Orange Counties. 

New Amsterdam. — For about fifty years after the 
Dutch Settlement the island of Manhattan was known as 
New Amsterdam. Washington Irving, in his Knicker- 
bocker History, has surrounded it with a loving halo and 
thereby given to the early records of New York the 
most picturesque background of any State in the Union. 

The city, bright below, and far away ^3 

Sparkling in golden light his own romantic Bay. 
Fitz-Greene Halleck. 



Cfte 



Among other playful allusions to the Indian names he 
takes the word Manna-hatta of Robert Juet to mean 
" the island of manna," or in other words a land flowing 
with milk and honey. He refers humorously to the 
Yankees as *' an ingenious people who out-bargain them 
in the market, out-speculate them on the exchange, out- 
top them in fortune, and run up mushroom palaces so 
high that the tallest Dutch family mansion has not wind 
enough left for its weather-cock." 

What would the old burgomaster think now of the 
mounting palaces of trade, stately apartments, and the 
piled up stories of commercial buildings? In fact the 
highest structure Washington Irving ever saw in New 
York was a nine-story sugar refinery. With elevators 
running two hundred feet a minute, there seems no limit 
to these modern mammoths. 

The Dutch and the English. — From the very beginning 
there was a quiet jealousy between the Dutch Settlement 
on the Hudson and the English Settlers in Massachusetts. 
To quote from an old English history, "it was the orig- 
inal purpose of the Pilgrims to locate near Nova Scotia, 
but, upon better consideration, they decided to seat them- 
selves more to the southward on the bank of Hudson's 
River which falls into the sea at New York." 

To this end " they contracted with some merchants who 
were willing to be adventurers with them in their intended 
settlement and were proprietors of the country, but the 
contract bore too heavy upon them, and made them the 
more easy in their disappointment. Their agents in 
England hired the Mayflower, and, after a stormy voyage, 
* fell in with Cape Cod on the 9th of November, Here 
they refreshed themselves about half a day and then 
tacked about to the southward for Hudson's River.' 

" Encountering a storm they became entangled in dan- 
gerous shoals and breakers and were driven back again 
to the Cape." Thus Plymouth became the first English 
settlement of New England. Another historian says that 



^4 



Before his sight 
Flowed the fair river free and bright, 
The rising mist and Isles of Bay, 
Before him in their glory lay. 

Robert C. Sands. 



it was their purpose " to settle on the Connecticut Coast ^ru^ 
near Fairfield County, lying between the Connecticut and ^ 
Hudson's River." 1^1100011 

From the very first the Dutch occupation was con- ^ , 
sidered by the English as illegal. It was undoubtedly *i>I'J^*' 
part of the country the coasts of which were first viewed 
by Sebastian Cabot, who sailed with five English ships 
from Bristol in May, 1498, and as such was afterwards 
included in the original province of Virginia. It was 
also within the limits of the country granted by King 
James to the Western Company, but, before it could be 
settled, the Dutch occupancy took place, and, in the in- 
terest of peace, a license was granted by King James. 

The Dutch thus made their settlement before the Puri- 
tans were planted in New England, and from their first 
coming, " being seated in Islands and at the mouth of 
a good river their plantations were in a thriving condi- 
tion, and they begun, in Holland, to promise themselves 
vast things from their new colony." 

Sir Samuel Argal in 1617 or 1618, on his way from 
Virginia to New Scotland, insulted the Dutch and de- 
stroyed their plantations. " To guard against further 
molestations they secured a License from King James to 
build Cottages and to plant for traffic as well as sub- 
sistence, pretending it was only for the conveniency of 
their ships touching there for fresh water and fresh pro- 
visions in their voyage to Brazil; but they little by little 
extended their limits every way, built Towns, fortified 
them and became a flourishing colony." 

" In an island called Manhattan, at the mouth of Hud- 
son's River, they built a City which they called New 
Amsterdam, and the river was called by them the Great 
River. The bay to the east of it had the name of Nassau 
given to it. About one hundred and fifty miles up the River 
they built a Fort which they called Orange Fort and 
from thence drove a profitable trade with the Indians who 
came overland as far as from Quebec to deal with them. 

On his view *^ 

Ocean, and earth, and heaven burst before him. 

Clouds slumbering at his feet and the clear blue 
Of summer's sky in beauty bending o'er him. 

Fitz- Greene HcUleck. 



Cfte 
^uD0on 



The Dutch Colonies were therefore in a very thriving 
condition when they were attacked by the English. The 
justice of this war has been freely criticised even by 
English writers, " because troops were sent to attack New 
Amsterdam before the Colony had any notice of the war." 

The " Encyclopaedia Britannica " thus briefly puts the 
history of those far-off days when New York was a town 
of about 1500 inhabitants: "The English Government 
was hostile to any other occupation of the New World 
than its own. In 1621 James I. claimed sovereignty over 
New Netherland by right of * occupancy.' In 1632 Charles 
I. reasserted the English title of * first discovery, occupa- 
tion and possession.' In 1654 Cromwell ordered an expe- 
dition for its conquest and the New England Colonies 
had engaged their support. The treaty with Holland 
arrested their operations and recognized the title of the 
Dutch. In 1664 Charles the Second resolved upon a con- 
quest of New Netherland. The immediate excuse was 
the loss to the revenue of the English Colonies by the 
smuggling practices of their Dutch neighbors. A patent 
was granted to the Duke of York giving to him all the 
lands and rivers from the west side of the Connecticut 
River to the east side of Delaware Bay." 

" On the 29th of August an English Squadron under 
the direction of Col. Richard Nicolls, the Duke's Deputy 
Governor, appeared off the Narrows, and on Sept. 8th 
New Amsterdam, defenseless against the force, was 
formally surrendered by Stuyvesant. In 1673 (August 
7th) war being declared between England and Holland 
a Dutch squadron surprised New York, captured the 
City and restored the Dutch authority, and the names of 
New Netherland and New Amsterdam. But in July, 
1674, a treaty of peace restored New York to English 
rule, A new patent was issued to the Duke of York, 
and Major Edmund Andros was appointed Governor." 

New York.— On the 10th of November, 1674, the Prov- 



26 



All white with sails thy keel-thronged waters flee; 
Through one rich lapse of plenty to the sea. 

Knickerbocker Magazine. 



ince of New Netherland was surrendered to Governor gThg 
Major Edmund Andros on behalf of his Britannic Ma- 
jesty. The letter sent by Governor Andros to the Dutch {t3UD0Dn 
Governor is interesting in this connection : " Being arrived ^^ {%^^p 
to this place with orders to receive from you in the *^*»'^'^*' 
behalf of his Majesty of Great Britain, pursuant to the 
late articles of peace with the States Generals of the 
United Netherlands, the New Netherlands and Dependen- 
cies, now under your command, I have herewith, by Capt. 
Philip Carterett and Ens. Csesar Knafton, sent you the 
respective orders from the said States General, the States 
of Zealand and Admirality of Amsterdam to that effect, 
and desire you'll please to appoint some short time for 
it. Our soldiers having been long aboard, I pray you 
answer by these gentlemen, and I shall be ready to serve 
you in what may lay in my power. Being from aboard 
his Majesty's ship, * The Diamond,' at anchor near. Your 
very humble servant. Staten Island this 22d Oct., 1674." 
After nineteen days' deliberation, which greatly annoyed 
Governor Andros, New Amsterdam was transferred from 
Dutch to English authority. 

" In 1683 Thomas Dongan succeeded Andros. A gen- 
eral Assembly, the first under the English rule, met in 
October, 1683, and adopted a Charter of Liberties, which 
was confirmed by the Duke. In August, 1684, a new 
covenant was made with the Iroquois, who formally ac- 
knowledged the jurisdiction of Great Britain, but not 
subjection. By the accession of the Duke of York to the 
English throne the Duchy of New York became a royal 
province. The Charters of the New England Colonies 
were revoked, and together with New York and New 
Jersey they were consolidated into the dominion of New 
England. Dongan was recalled and Sir Edmund Andros 
was commissioned Governor General. He assumed his 
vice regal authority August 11, 1688. The Assembly 
which James had abolished in 1686 was reestablished, and 
in May declared the rights and privileges of the people, 

"Queen of all lovely rivers, lustrous queeir 27 

Of flowing waters in our sweet new lands. 
Rippling through sunlight to the ocean sands." 

Anonymous. 



Cfie 
Ktet 



reaffirming the principles of the repealed Charter of 
Liberties of October 30, 1683." 

From this time on to the Revolution of 1776 there is 
one continual struggle between the Royal Governors and 
the General Assembly. The Governor General had the 
power of dissolving the Assembly, but the Assembly had 
the power of granting money. British troops were quar- 
tered in New York which increased the irritation. The 
conquest of Canada left a heavy burden upon Great 
Britain, a part of which their Parliament attempted to 
shift to the shoulders of the Colonies. 

A general Congress of the Colonies, held in New York 
in 1765, protested against the Stamp Act and other 
oppressive ordinances and they were in part repealed. 

A Page of Patriotism.— During the long political agita- 
tion New York, the most English of the Colonies in her 
manners and feelings, was in close harmony with the 
Whig leaders of England. She firmly adhered to the 
principle of the sovereignty of the people which she had 
inscribed on her ancient " Charter of Liberties." Al- 
though largely dependent upon commerce she was the 
first to recommend a non-importation of English mer- 
chandise as a measure of retaliation against Britain, and 
she was the first also to invite a general congress of all 
the Colonies. On the breaking out of hostilities New 
York immediately joined the patriot cause. The English 
authority was overthrown and the government passed to 
a provincial congress. 

New York Sons of Liberty. — In 1767, in the eighth year 
of the reign of George IIL there was issued a document 
in straightforward Saxon, and Sir Henry Moore, Governor- 
in-Chief over the Province of New York, offered fifty 
pounds to discover the author or authors. The paper 
read as follows : " Whereas, a glorious stand for Liberty 
did appear in the Resentment shown to a Set of Mis- 
creants under the Name of Stamp Masters, in the year 
1765, and it is now feared that a set of Gentry called 



m 



The union of lakes — the union of lands — 
The union of States none can sever — 

The union of hearts — the union of hands — 
And the Flag of our Union forever. 

George P. Morris. 



Commissioners (I do not mean those lately arrived at ^Tj&C 
Boston), whose odious Business is of a similar nature, j|^„»^^rt 
may soon make their appearance amongst us in order to *l^WUSUn 
execute their detestable office: It is therefore hoped that J^l\)0t 
every votary of that celestial Goddess Liberty, will hold 
themselves in readiness to give them a proper welcome. 
Rouse, my Countrymen, Rouse! (Signed) Pro Patria." 

In December, 1769, a stirring address " To the Betrayed 
Inhabitants of the City and County of New York," signed 
by a Son of Liberty, was also published, asking the people 
to do their duty in matters pending between them and 
Britain. *' Imitate," the writer said, " the noble examples 
of the friends of Liberty in England; who, rather than 
be enslaved, contend for their rights with king, lords and 
commons; and will you suffer your liberties to be torn 
from you by your Representatives? tell it not in Boston; 
publish it not in the streets of Charles-town. You have 
means yet left to preserve a unanimity with the brave 
Bostonians and Carolinians; and to prevent the accom- 
plishment of the designs of tyrants." 

Another proclamation, offering a reward of fifty pounds, 
was published by the " Honorable Cadwalader Colden, 
Esquire, His Majesty's Lieutenant-Governor and Com- 
mander-in-Chief of the Province of New York and the 
territories depending thereon in America," with another 
" God Save the King " at the end of it. But the people 
who commenced to write Liberty with a capital letter 
and the word "king" in lower case type were not 
daunted. Captain Alexander McDougal was arrested as 
the supposed author. He was imprisoned eighty-one days. 
He was subsequently a member of the Provincial Conven- 
tion, in 1775 was appointed Colonel of the first New 
York Regiment, and in 1777 rose to the rank of Major- 
General in the U. S. Army. New York City could well 
afford a monument to the Sons of Liberty. She has a 
right to emphasize this period of her history, for her 
citizens passed the first resolution to import nothing from 

And not a verdant glade or mountain hoary, 99 

But treasures up within the glorious story. 

Charles Fenno Hoffman. 



^TftC ^^^ mother country, burned ten boxes of stamps sent 

from England before any other colony or city had made 
lpllD0un even a show of resistance, and when the Declaration was 
IRiti^t read, pulled down the leaden statue of George III. from 

its pedestal in Bowling Green, and moulded it into Repub- 
lican bullets. 

In 1699 the population of New York was about 6,000. 
In 1800, it reached 60,000; and the growth since that 
date is almost incredible. It is amusing to hear elderly 
people speak of the *' outskirts of the city " lying close 
to the City Hall, and of the drives in the country above 
Canal Street. In the Documentary History of New York, 
a map of a section of New York appears as it was in 
1793, when the Gail, Work House, and Bridewell occu- 
pied the site of the City Hall, with two ponds to the 
north — East Collect Pond and Little Collect Pond, — sixty 
feet deep and about a quarter of a mile in diameter, 
the outlet of which crossed Broadway at Canal Street 
and found its way to the Hudson. 

Greater New York. — In 1830, the population of Man- 
hattan was 202,000; in 1850, 515,000; in 1860, 805,000; 
in 1870, 942,000; in 1880, 1,250,000; in 1892, 1,801,739; 
and is now rapidly approaching three million. Brooklyn, 
which in 1800 had a population of only 2,000, now con- 
tributes, as the " Borough of Brooklyn," almost two mil- 
lion. So that Greater New York is the centre of about 
six million of people within a radius of fifteen miles 
including her New Jersey suburbs with almost five mil- 
lions under one municipality. 

Brooklyn. — In June, 1636, was bought the first land 
on Long Island; and in 1667 the Ferry Town, opposite 
New York, was known by the name " Breuckelen," signi- 
fying "broken land," but the name was not generally 
accepted until after the Revolution. Columbia Heights, 
Prospect Park, Clinton Avenue, St. Mark's Place and 
Stuyvesant Heights are among the favored spots for 
residence. 



30 



Behind us lies the teeminR town 
With lust of pold grown frantic; 

Before us glitters o'er the bay 
The peaceable Atlantic. 

Charles Mackay. 



Jersey City occupies the ground once known as Pauliis ^1)0 
Hook, the farm of William Kieft, Director General of 
the Dutch West India Company. Its water front, from IPU 00011 
opposite Bartholdi Statue to Hoboken, is conspicuously TOfy^^t* 
marked by Railroad Terminal Piers, Factories, Elevators, 
etc. Bergen is the oldest settlement in New Jersey. It 
was founded in 1616 by Dutch Colonists to the New 
Netherlands, and received its name from Bergen in Nor- 
way. Jersey City is practically a part of Greater New 
York, but state lines make municipal union impossible. 

Hudson River Steamboats. — An accurate history of the 
growth and development of steam navigation on the 
Hudson, from the building of the " Clermont " by Robert 
Fulton to the building of the superb steamers of the 
Hudson River Day Line would form a very interesting 
book. The first six years produced six steamers: 



Clermont, built in 1807 160 tons 

Car of Neptune, built in 1809 295 

Hope, built in 1811 280 

Perseverance, built in 1811 280 

Paragon, built in 1811 331 

Richmond, built in 1813 370 



It makes one smile to read the newspaper notices of 
those days. The time was rather long, and the fare 
rather high — thirty-six hours to Albany, fare seven 
dollars. 

From the Albany Gazette, September, 1807. 
" The North River Steamboat will leave Paulus Hook 
Ferry on Friday the 4th of September, at 9 in the morning, 
and arrive at Albany at 9 in the afternoon on Saturday. 
Provisions, good berths, and accommodation are provided. 
The charge to each passenger is as follows : 



The wind blew over the land and the waves 
With its sa>Jt sea-breath, and a spicy balm. 

And it seemed to cool my throbbing brain, 
And lend my spirit its gusty calm. 

Richard Henry Stoddard. 



31 



Cfte 

lDuD0ott 

Kitiet 



To Newburg Dols. 3, Time 14 hours. 

Poughkeepsie "4, " 17 " 

Esopus " 5, " 20 " 

Hudson " 5A, " 30 " 

Albany " 7, " 36 " 

For places apply to Wm. Vandervoort, No. 48 Court- 
land street, on the corner of Greenwich street, September 
2d, 1807." 

Extract from the Netv York Evening Post, October 2, 1807. 

Mr. Fulton's new-invented steamboat, which is fitted up 
in a neat style for passengers, and is intended to run 
from New York to Albany as a packet, left here this 
morning with ninety passengers, against a strong head 
wind. Notwithstanding which, it is judged that she 
moved through the waters at the rate of six miles an 
hour. 

Extract from the Albany Gazette, October 5th, 1807. 

Friday, October 2d, 1807, the steamboat (Clermont) 
left New York at ten o'clock a. m., against a stormy tide, 
very rough water, and a violent gale from the north. 
She made a headway beyond the most sanguine expecta- 
tions, and without being rocked by the waves. 

Arrived at Albany, October 4th, at 10 o'clock p. m., 
being detained by being obliged to come to anchor, owing 
to a gale and having one of her paddle wheels torn away 
by running foul of a sloop. 

The following was recently recopied in the Poughkeepsie 
Eagle, as an old time reminiscence: 

To Poughkeepsie from New York in Seventeen Hours. 

— The first steamboat on the Hudson River passed Pouprh- 
keepsie August 17th, 1807, and in June, 1808, the owners 
of the boat caused the following advertisement to be 
published in prominent papers along the river: 

32 But see 1 the broadening j-iver deeper flows, 

Its tribute floods intent to reach the sea. 

Park Benjamin. 



i 



STEAMBOAT. ^. 

FOR THE INFORMATION OF THE PUBLIC. xL^^ 

The steamboat will leave New York for Albany ^veryjAit Jj^qj* 

Saturday afternoon exactly at 6 o'clock, and will pass: 

West Point, about 4 o'clock Sunday morning. jR|U0t 

Newburgh, 7 o'clock Sunday morning. 

Poughkeepsie, 11 o'clock Sunday morning. 

Esopus, 2 o'clock in the afternoon. 

Red Hook, 4 o'clock in the afternoon. 

Catskill, 7 o'clock in the afternoon. 

Hudson, 8 o'clock in the evening. 

She will leave Albany for New York every Wednesday 
morning exactly at 8 o'clock, and pass: 

Hudson, about 3 in the afternoon. 

Esopus, 8 in the evening. 

Poughkeepsie, 12 at night. 

Newburgh, 4 Thursday morning. 

West Point, 7 Thursday morning. 

As the time at which the boat may arrive at the dif- 
ferent places above mentioned may vary an hour, more 
or less, according to the advantage or disadvantage of 
wind and tide, those who wish to come on board will see 
the necessity of being on the spot an hour before the 
time. Persons wishing to come on board from any other 
landing than these here specified can calculate the time 
the boat will pass and be ready on her arrival. Inn- 
keepers or boatmen who bring passengers on board or 
take them ashore from any part of the river will be 
allowed one shilling for each person. 

PRICES OF PASSAGE— FROM NEW YORK. 

To West Point $2 30 

To Newburgh 3 00 

To Poughkeepsie 3 50 

To Esopus 4 00 

To Red Hook 4 50 

To Hudson 5 00 

To Albany 7 00 

QQ 

By palace, village, cot, a sweet surprise "^"^ 

At every turn the vision looks upon; 
Till to our wondering and uplifted eyes 

The Highland rocks and hills in solemn grandeur rise. 
Henry T. Tuckerman. 



Cfte 



FROM ALBANY. 

To Hudson $2 00 

To Red Hook 3 00 

To Esopus 3 50 

To Poughkeepsie 4 00 

To Newburgh and West Point 4 50 

To New York 7 00 



All other passengers are to pay at the rate of one 
dollar for every twenty miles, and a half dollar for every 
meal they may eat. 

Children from 1 to 5 years of age to pay one-third 
price and to sleep with persons under whose care they 
are. 

Young persons from 5 to 15 years of age to pay half 
price, provided they sleep two in a berth, and the whole 
price for each one who requests to occupy a whole berth. 

Servants who pay two-thirds price are entitled to a 
berth; they pay half price .f they do not have a berth. 

Every person paying full price is allowed sixty pounds 
of baggage; if less than full price forty pounds. They 
are to pay at the rate of three cents per pound for sur- 
plus baggage. Storekeepers who wish to carry light and 
valuable merchandise can be accommodated on paying 
three cents a pound. 

Day Line Steamers. — As the cradle of successful steam 
navigation was rocked on the Hudson, it is fitting that 
the Day Line Steamers should excel all others in beauty, 
grace and speed. There is no comparison between these 
river palaces and the steamboats on the Rhine or any 
river in Europe, as to equipment, comfort and rapidity. 
To make another reference to the great tourist route of 
Europe, the distance from Cologne to Coblenz is 60 miles, 
the same as from New York to Newburgh. It takes 
the Rhine steamers from seven to eight hours (as will 
be seen in Baedeker's Guide to that river) going up the 
stream, and from four and a half to five hours returning 



34. 



Southward the river gleams — a snowy sail 
Now gliding o'er the mirror — now a track 

Tossing with foam displaying on its course 
The graceful steamer with its flag of smoke. 
Alfred B. Street. 



with the current. The Hudson by Daylight steamers en 
route to Albany make the run from New York to New- 
burgh in three hours; to Poughkeepsie in four hours, 
making stops at Yonkers, West Point and Newburgh. 
Probably no train on the best equipped railroad in our 
country reaches its stations with greater regularity than 
these steamers make their various landing. It astonishes 
a Mississippi or Missouri traveler to see the captain stand- 
ing like a train-conductor, with watch in hand, to let off 
the gang-plank and pull the bell, at the very moment of 
the advertised schedule. 

One of the most humorous incidents of the writer's 
journeying up and down the Hudson, was the " John- 
Gilpin-experience " of a western man who got off at West 
Point a few years ago. It was at that time the first 
landing of the steamer after leaving New York. 

As he was accustomed to the Mississippi style of wait- 
ing at the various towns he thought he would go up and 
take a look at the " hill." The boat was off and " so 
was he"; with wife and children shaking their hands 
and handkerchiefs in an excited manner from the gang- 
plank. Some one at the stern of the steamer shouted 
to him to cross the river and take the train to Pough- 
keepsie. 

Every one was on the lookout for him at the Pough- 
keepsie landing, and, just as the steamer was leaving 
the dock, he came dashing down Main street from the 
railroad station, but too late. Then not only wife and 
children but the entire boat saluted him and the crowded 
deck blossomed with handkerchiefs. Some one shouted 
" catch us at Rhinebeck." After leaving Rhinebeck the 
train appeared, and on passing the steamer, a lone hand- 
kerchief waved from the rear of the platform. At Hudson 
an excited but slightly disorganized gentleman appeared 
to the great delight of his family, and every one else, 
for the passengers had all taken a lively interest in 
the chase. " Well," he says, " I declare, the way this 






While drinking in the scene, my mind goes back upon 
the tide of years, and lo, a vision 1 On its upward 
path the "Half-Moon" glides. 

Alfred B. Street 



35 



boat lands, and gets off again, beats anything I ever 
see, and I have lived on the Mississippi nigh on to a 
quarter of a century." 

The " Hendrick Hudson," In these centennial days of 
discovery and invention, a description of the steamers 
will be of interest, furnished by the Hudson River Day 
Line. The " Hendrick Hudson " was built at Newburgh 
by the Marvel Company, under contract with the W. & A. 
Fletcher Company of New York, who built her engines, 
and under designs from Frank E. Kirby. Her principal 
dimensions are: length, 400 feet; breadth over all, 82 
feet; depth of hold, 14 feet 5 inches, and a draft of 7 
feet 6 Inches. Her propelling machinery is what is known 
as the 3-cylinder compound direct acting engine, and 
her power (6,500-horse) is applied through side wheels 
with feathering buckets, and steam is supplied from eight 
boilers. 

Steel has been used in her construction to such an 
extent that her hull, her bulk-heads (7 in all), her engine 
and boiler enclosures, her kitchen and ventilators, her 
stanchions, girders, and deck beams, and in fact the whole 
essential frame work of the boat is like a great steel 
building. Where wood is used it is hard wood, and in 
finish probably has no equal in marine work. 

Her scheme of decoration, ventilation and sanitation 
is as artistic and scientific as modern methods can pro- 
duce, and at the same time her general lay out for prac- 
tical and comfortable operation is the evolution of the 
long number of years in which the Day Line has been 
conducting the passenger business. 

A detailed account of this steamer would be a long 
story, but some of the salient features are as follows: 
She carries the largest passenger license ever issued, 
namely: for 5,000 people; on her trial trip she made the 
fastest record through the water of any inland passenger 
ship in this country, namely: 23.1 miles per hour. Her 
shafts are under the main deck. Her mural paintings 



36 



We hear the murmur of the sea, — - 

A monotone of sadness, 
But not a whisper of the crowd, 

Or echo of its madness. 

Charles Mackay. 



represent prominent features of the Hudson, which may 
not be well seen from the steamer. Her equipment far 
exceeds the requirements of the Government Inspection 
Laws. 

The " New York." The hull of the " New York " was 
built at Wilmington, Del., by the Harlan & Hollingsworth 
Co., in 1887, and is, with the exception of the deck-frame, 
made of iron throughout. During the winter of 1897 she 
was lengthened 30 feet, and now measures 341 feet in 
length, breadth over all 74 feet, with a tonnage of 1975 
gross tons. The engine was built by the W. & A. Fletcher 
Co. of New York. It is a standard American beam 
engine, with a cylinder 75 inches in diameter and 12 feet 
stroke of piston, and develops 3,850 horse power. Steam 
steering gear is used. One of the most admirable features 
of this queen of river steamers is her " feathering " 
wheels, the use of which not only adds materially to her 
speed but does away with the jar or tremor common to 
boats having the ordinary paddle-wheels. The exterior 
of the " New York " is, as usual, of pine, painted white 
and relieved with tints and gold. The interior is finished 
in hard-wood cabinet work, ash being used forward of 
the shaft on the main deck, and mahogany aft and in 
the dining-room. Ash is also used in the grand saloons 
on the promenade deck. One feature of these saloons 
especially worthy of note, is the number and size of the 
windows, which are so numerous as to almost form one 
continuous window. Seated in one of these elegant saloons 
as in a floating palace of glass, the tourist who prefers 
to remain inside enjoys equally with those outside the 
unrivalled scenery through which the steamer is passing. 
The private parlors on the " New York " are provided 
with bay windows and are very luxuriantly furnished. 
In the saloons are paintings by Albert Bierstadt, J. F. 
Cropsey, Walter Satterlee and David Johnson. The 
dining-room on the " New York " is located on the main 
deck, aft; a feature that will commend itself to tourists, 



Thy fate and mine are not repose, 
And ere another evening close 
Thou to thy tides shall turn again 
And I to seek the crowd of men. 

William Cullen Byrant. 



37 



^h£ since while enjoying their meals they will not be deprived 

from viewing the noble scenery through which the steamer 
^UU0On is passing. While the carrying capacity of the "New 
l!llVirf ^oi'k " is 4,500 passengers, license for 2,500 only is ap- 

plied for, thus guaranteeing ample room for all and the 
absence from crowding which is so essential to comfort. 
The " Albany " was built by the Harlan & Hollings- 
worth Co., of Wilmington, Del., in 1880. During the 
winter of 1892, she was lengthened thirty feet and fur- 
nished with modern feathering wheels in place of the 
old style radial ones. Her hull is of iron, 325 feet long, 
breadth of beam over all 75 feet, and her tonnage is 
1,415 gross tons. Her engine was built by the W. & A. 
Fletcher Co., of New York, and develops 3,200 horse 
power. The stroke is 12 feet, and the diameter of the 
cylinder is 73 inches. On her trial trip she ran from 
New York to Poughkeepsie, a distance of 75 miles, in 
three hours and seven minutes. Steam steering gear is 
used on the " Albany," thus insuring ease and precision 
in handling her. The wood-work on the main deck and 
in the upper saloons is all hard wood; mahogany, ash 
and maple tastefully carved. Wide, easy staircases lead 
to the main saloon and upper decks. Rich Axminster 
carpets cover the floors, and mahogany tables and fur- 
niture of antique design and elegant finish make up the 
appointments of a handsomely furnished drawing room. 
The Old Reaches. — Early navigators divided the Hudson 
into fourteen " reaches " or distances from point to point 
as seen by one sailing up or down the river. In the 
slow days of uncertain sailing vessels these divisions 
meant more than in our time of " propelling steam," but 
they are still of practical and historic interest. 

The Great Chip Rock Reach extends from above Wee- 
hawken about eighteen miles to the boundary line of New 
York and New Jersey — (near Piermont). The Palisades 
were known by the old Dutch settlers as the " Great 
Chip," and so styled in the Bergen Deed of Purchase, 

"^^ Lose not a memory of the glorious scenes, 

Mountains and palisades, and leaning rocks. 
William Wallace. 



viz, the great chip above Weehawken. The Tappan Reach 
(on the east side of which dwelt the Manhattans, and 
on the west side the Saulrickans and the Tappana"), 
extends about seven miles to Teller's Point. The third 
reach to a narrow point called Haverstroo; then comes 
the Seybnaker's Reach, then Crescent Reach; next Hoge's 
Reach, and then Vorsen Reach, which extends to Klinkers- 
berg, or Storm King, the northern portal of the High- 
lands. This is succeeded by Fisher's Reach where, on the 
east side once dwelt a race of savages called Pachami. 
" This reach," in the language of De Laet, " extends to 
another narrow pass, where, on the west, is a point of 
land which juts out, covered with sand, opposite a bend 
in the river, on which another nation of savages — the 
Waoranecks — have their abode at a place called Esopus. 
Next, another reach, called Claverack; then Backerack; 
next Playsier Reach, and Vaste Reach, as far as Hinnen- 
hock; then Hunter's Reach, as far as Kinderhook; and 
Fisher's Hook, near Shad Island, over which, on the east 
side, dwell the Mahicans." If these reaches seem value- 
less at present there are 

Five Divisions of the Hudson — which possess interest 
for all, as they present an analysis easy to be remem- 
bered — divisions marked by something more substantial 
than sentiment or fancy, expressing five distinct char- 
acteristics : — 

1. The Palisades, an unbroken wall of rock for fifteen 
miles — Grandeur. 

2. The Tappan Zee, surrounded by the sloping hills of 
Nyack, Tarrytown, and Sleepy Hollow — Repose. 

3. The Highlands, where the Hudson for twenty miles 
plays " hide and seek " with " hills rock-ribbed and ancient 
as the sun "—Sublimity. 

4. The Hillsides for miles above and below Pough- 
keepsie— The Picturesque. 

5. The Catskills, on the west, throned in queenly 
dignity — Beauty. 



C6e 

^uD0on 

Kftoer 



On the deck 
Stands the bold Hudson, gazing at the sights 
Opening successive — point and rock and hill, 
Majestic mountain-top," and nestling vale. 

Alfred B. Street. 



39 



^uD0on 

^^^^^ SUGGESTIONS. 



From the Hurricane Deck of the Hudson River Day 
Line Steamers can be seen, on leaving or approaching 
the Metropolis, one of the most interesting panoramas 
in the world — the river life of Manhattan, the massive 
structures of Broadway, the great Transatlantic docks. 
Recreation Piers, and an ever-changing kaleidoscope of 
interest. The view is especially grand on the down trip 
between the hours of five and six in the afternoon, as 
the western sun brings the city in strong relief against 
the sky. If tourists wish to fully enjoy this beautiful 
view they should remain on the Hurricane Deck until 
the boat is well into her Desbrosses Street slip. 

The Brooklyn Annex. — The Brooklyn tourist is espe- 
cially happy in this delightful preface and addenda to 
the Hudson River trip. The effect of morning and even- 
ing light in bringing out or in subduing the sky-line of 
Manhattan is nowhere seen to greater advantage. In the 
morning the buildings from the East River side stand 
out bold and clear, when lo! almost instantaneously, on 
turning the Battery, they are lessened and subdued. On 
the return trip in the evening, the effect is reversed — a 
study worth the while of the traveler as he passes to 
and fro on the commodious " Annex " between Desbrosses 
Street Pier and Brooklyn. Surely no other city in the 
world rises so beautiful from harbor line or water front 
as "Greater New York," with lofty outlines of the bor- 
oughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn reminding one of 
Scott's tribute to Edinburgh: 

" Pile<l deep and massy, close and high, 
^Iine own romantic townl" 

Down at the end of the long, dark street, 
40 Years, years ago, 

I sat with my sweetheart on the pier, 
Watching the river flow. 

Richard Henry Stoddard. 








^M Jitfflgife g iM Ml ffii i ^l"' ~^==rib: 



NEW YORK TO ALBANY. 



Cfte 
Kftoet 



Desbrosses Street Pier to Forty-Second Street. 

Our historic journey fittingly begins at Desbrosses 
Street, for here, near the old River-front, extending from 
Desbrosses along Greenwich, stood the Revolutionary line 
of breastworks reaching south to the Grenadier Battery 
at Franklin Street. Below this were "Jersey," "Mc- 
Dougall" and "Oyster" batteries and intervening earth- 
works to Fort George, on the Battery, which stood on the 
site of old Fort Amsterdam, carrying us back to Knicker- 
bocker memories of Peter Stuyvesant and Wowter Van 
Twiller, The view from the after-deck, before the 
steamer leaves the pier, gives scope for the imagination 
to re-picture the far-away primitive and heroic days of 
early New York. 

Desbrosses Street Pier. — On leaving the lower landing 
a charming view is obtained of New York Harbor, the 
Narrows, Staten Island, the Bartholdi Statue of Liberty, 
and, in clear weather, far away to the South, the High- 
lands of Nevisink, the first land to greet the eye of the 
ocean voyager. As the steamer swings out into the 
stream the tourist is at once face to face with a rapidly 
•changing panorama. Steamers arriving, with happy faces 
on their decks, from southern ports or distant lands; 
others with waving handkerchiefs bidding good-bye to 
friends on crowded docks; swift-shuttled ferry-boats, with 
hurrying passengers, supplying their homespun woof to 
the great warp of foreign or coastwise commerce; noisy 
tug-boats, sombre as dray horses, drawing long lines 
of canal boats, or proud in the convoy of some Atlantic 
greyhound that has not yet slipped its leash; dignified 



Rise, stately symbol ! Holding forth 

Thy light and hope to all who sit 
In chains and darkness ! Belt the earth 

With watch-fires from thy torch uplit ! 

John Greenleaf WhiUier. 



41 



Cfte 



" Men of War " at anchor, flying the flags of many 
nations, happy excursion boats en route to sea-side resorts, 
scows, picturesque in their very clumsiness and uncouth- 
ness — all unite in a living kaleidescope of beauty. 

Across the river on the Jersey Shore are seen exten- 
sive docks of great railways, with elevators and stations 
that seem like " knotted ends " of vast railway lines, lest 
they might forsooth, untwist and become irrecoverably 
tangled in approaching the Metropolis. Prominent among 
these are the Pennsylvania Railroad for the South and 
West; the Erie Raihvay, the Delaware, Lackaivanna and 
Western, and to the North above Hoboken the West 
Shore, serving also as starting point for the New York, 
Ontario and Western. Again the eye returns to the 
crowded wharves and warehouses of New York, reaching 
from Castle Garden beyond 30th Street, with forest-like 
masts and funnels of ocean steamships, and then to 
prominent buildings mounting higher and higher year by 
year along the city horizon, marking the course of Broad- 
way from the Battery, literally fulfilling the humor of 
Knickerbocker in not leaving space for a breath of air 
for the top of old Trinity Church spire. 

Stevens' Castle. — About midway between Desbrosses 
Street and 42d Street Pier will be seen on the Jer- 
sey Shore a wooded point with sightly building, known 
as Stevens' Castle, home of the late Commodore Stevens, 
founder of the Stevens Institute of Technology. Above 
this are the Elysian Fields, near the river bank, known in 
early days as a quiet resort but now greatly changed in 
the character of its visitors. On the left will also be seen 
the dome and tower of St. Michael's Monastery, and above 
this Union Hill. 

The Trap Rock Ridge, which begins to show itself 
above the Elysian Fields, increases gradually in height to 
the brow of the Palisades. West of Bergen Heights and 
Union Hill flows the Hackensack River parallel to the 
Hudson, and at this point only about two miles distant. 



42 



How still with all her towers and domes 

The city sleeps on yonder shore, — 
How many thousand happy homes 

Yon starless sky is bending o'er. 

Park Benjamin. 



Forty-Second Street to One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth. 






The 42d Street Pier is now at hand, convenient of «-,,, 
access to travelers, as the 42d Street car line crosses ll\lUvr 
Manhattan intersecting every " up and down " surface, 
subway or elevated road in the City, as does also the 
Grand, Vestry and Desbrosses Street at the lower land- 
ing. While passengers are coming aboard we take 
pleasure in quoting the following from Baedeker's Guide 
to the United States : " The Photo-Panorama of the 
Hudson, published by the Bryant Union Publishing Co., 
New York City (price 50 cents), shows both sides of 
the river from New York to Albany, accurately repre- 
sented from 800 consecutive photographs." This new and 
complete object-guide will be of service to the tourist, 
and can be had at the steamers' news stands, head of 
grand stairway, or it will be sent by publishers, postpaid, 
on receipt of price." 

Weehawken with its sad story of the duel between 
Hamilton and Burr is soon seen upon the west bank. A 
monument once marked the spot, erected by the St. An 
drews Society of New York City on the ledge of rock 
where Hamilton fell early in the morning of the eleventh 
of July, 1804. The quarrel between this great states- 
man and his malignant rival was, perhaps, more personal 
than political. It is said that Hamilton, in accordance 
with the old-time code of honor, accepted the challenge, 
but fired into the air, while Burr with fiendish cruelty 
took deliberate revenge. Burr was never forgiven by the 
citizens of New York and from that hour walked its 
streets shunned and despised. Among the many poetic 
tributes penned at the time to the memory of Hamilton, 
perhaps the best was by a poet whose name is now 
scarcely remembered, Mr. Robert C. Sands. A fine pic- 
ture of Hamilton will be found in the New York Chamber 
of Commerce where the writer was recently shown the 

Where round yon capes the banks ascend ^^ 

Long shall the pilgrim's footsteps bend, 
There, mirthful heart shall pause to sigh, 
There tears shall dim the patriot's eye. 

Robert C. Sands. 



kLvZ following concise paragraph from Talleyrand : " The 

rrMth<<ntt ^^^^'^^ greatest men of my time, in my opinion, were 
^ Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles James Fox and Alexander 

J^IJJ^J^ Hamilton and the greatest of the three was Hamilton." 
The plain marble slab which stood in the face of the 
monument is still preserved by a member of the King 
family. It is thirty-six inches long by twenty-six and 
a half inches wide and bears the following inscription: 
"As an expression of their affectionate regard to his 
Memory and their deep regret for his loss, the St. An- 
drew's Society of the State of New York have erected 
this Monument." 

Quite a history attaches to this stone (graphically 
condensed by an old gardener of the King estate) : " It 
stood in the face of the monument for sixteen years, 
and was read by thousands, but by 1820 the pillar had 
become an eyesore to the enlightened public sentiment 
of the age, and an agitation was begun in the public 
prints for its removal. It was not, however, organized 
effort, but the order of one man, that at length demolished 
the pillar. This man was Captain Deas, a peace-loving 
gentleman, strongly opposed to duelling and brawls, and 
on seeing a party approaching the grounds often inter- 
posed and sometimes succeeded in effecting a reconcilia- 
tion. He became tired of seeing the pillar in his daily 
walks, and, in 1820, ordered his men to remove it and 
deposit the slab containing the inscription in one of the 
outbuildings of the estate. This was done. But a few 
months afterward the slab was stolen, and nothing more 
was heard of it until thirteen years later, when Mr. 
Hugh Maxwell, president of the St. Andrew's Society, 
discovered it in a junk shop in New York. He at once 
purchased it and presented it to Mr. James G. King, 
who about this time came into possession of the Deas 
property, where it has since been carefully preserved." 

This mansion of Captain Deas afterward known as the 
" King House on the Cliff " was a stately residence where 

A^/i I was an admirer of General Hamilton, and I sicken 

- ^ when I think of our political broils, slanders and enmi- 

ties. 

Washington Irving. 



Washington Irving used to come and dream of his fair ^jk^ 

Manhattan across the river. It was also the head- 

quarters of Lafayette, after the battle of Brandywine. l^UD^Ott 

The gardener also said: "the river road beneath "s^^r, 
is cut directly through the spot. Originally it was simply *^*^^^ 
a narrow and grassy shelf close up under the cliffs, six 
feet wide and eleven paces long. A great cedar tree stood 
at one end, and this sandbowlder, which we have also 
preserved, was at the other. It was about twenty feet 
above the river and was reached by a steep rocky path 
leading up from the Hudson, and, as there was then 
no road or path even along the base of the cliffs, it 
could be reached only by boats." The tirst duel at 
Weehawken of which there is any record was in 1799, 
between Aaron Burr and John B. Church (Hamilton's 
brother-in-law). The parties met and exchanged shots; 
neither v/as wounded. The seconds then induced Church 
to offer an apology and the affair terminated. The last 
duel was fought there September 28, 1845, and ended 
in a farce, the pistols being loaded with cork — a fitting- 
termination to a relic of barbarism. 

Riverside Drive and Park. Riverside Drive, on the east 
bank starting at 72d Street, is pronounced the finest 
residential avenue in the world. Distinguished among 
many noble residences is the home of Charles M. Schwab 
at 73d Street, which cost two million dollars; built on 
the New York Orphan Asylum plot for which he paid 
$860,000. 

The Soldiers and Sailors Monument, 89th Street, a 
memorial to the citizens of New York, who took part 
in the Civil War, a beautiful work of art, circular in 
form, with Corinthian columns, erected by the city at 
a cost of a quarter of million of dollars was dedicated 
May 30, 1902. The corner-stone was laid in 1900 by 
President Roosevelt, at that time Governor. The location 
was well selected, and it presents one of the most attrac- 
tive features of the river front. 

45 

We celebrate our hundredth year 

With thankful hearts and words of praise. 
And learn a lasting lesson here 

Of trust and hope for coming days. 

Wallace Bruce. 



^|j0 Columbia University, on Morningside Heights, has a 

fine outlook, crowning a noble site worthy of the old 
IpU 00011 college, whose sons have been to the fore since the days 
IRfVirr ^^ ^^^^ Revolution in promoting the glory of the state 

and the nation. President Low has happily styled " Morn- 
ingside," which extends from 116th to 120th Streets, " The 
Acropolis of the new world." The Library Building which 
he erected to his father's memory, is of Greek architecture 
and cost $1,500,000. It contains 300,000 volumes and is 
open night and day to the public. It also marks the 
battle ground and American victory of Harlem Heights 
in 1776. 

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine (Protestant Epis- 
copal), now in process of erection occupies three blocks 
from 110th Street to 113th between Morningside Park 
and Amsterdam Avenue. The corner stone was laid in 
1892 to be completed about 1940 at a cost of $6,000,000. 
The crypt quarried out of the solid rock has been com- 
pleted and services are held in it every Sunday. Near 
at hand will be seen the beautiful dome of St. Luke's 
Hospital. 

Grant's Tomb, Riverside Drive and 123d Street, has 
the most commanding site of the Hudson River front 
of New York. The bluff rises 130 feet and still retains 
the name of Claremont. The apex of the memorial is 
280 feet above the river. Ninety thousand people con- 
tributed to the " Grant Monument Association fund " 
which, with interest, aggregated $600,000. The corner 
stone was laid by President Harrison in 1892 and dedi- 
cated April 27, 1897, on the seventy-fifth anniversary of 
Grant's birth, with a great military, naval and civil 
parade. The occasion was marked by an address of 
President McKinley and an oration of Gen. Horace Porter, 
president of the Grant Monument Association. 

An attempt to remove Grant's body to Washington was 
made in Congress but overwhelmingly defeated. The 
speech by Congressman Amos Cummings in the House 



46 



His glory as the centuries wide. 
His honor bright as sunlit seas, 

His lullaby the Hudson tide. 

His requiem the whispering breeze. 

Wallace Bruce. 



of Representatives, was a happy condensation of the facts. ^TfeC 
He fittingly said : " New York was General Grant's 
chosen home. He tried many other places but finally iPU 00011 
settled there. A house was given to him here in Wash- T^lVigr 
ington, but he abandoned it in the most marked manner 
to buy one for himself in New York. He was a familiar 
form upon her streets. He presided at her public meet- 
ings and at all times took an active interest in her local 
affairs. He w^as perfectly at home there and was charmed 
with its associations. It was the spot on earth chosen 
by himself as the most agreeable to him; he meant to 
live and die there. It was his home when he died. He 
closed his career without ever once expressing a wish 
to leave it, but always to remain in it. 

" Men are usually buried at their homes. Washington 
was buried there; Lincoln was buried there; Garibaldi 
was buried there; Gambetta was buried there, and Erics- 
son was buried, not at the Capital of Sweden, but at 
his own home. Those who say that New York is back- 
ward in giving for any commendable thing either do 
not know her or they belie her. Wherever in the civilized 
world there has been disaster by fire or flood, or from 
earthquake or pestilence, she has been among the fore- 
most in the field of givers and has remained there when 
others have departed. It is a shame to speak of her as 
parsimonious or as failing in any benevolent duty. Those 
who charge her with being dilatory should remember that 
haste is not always speed. It took more than a quarter 
of a century to erect Bunker Hill Monument; the ladies 
of Boston completed it. It took nearly half a century 
to erect a monument to George Washington in the City 
founded by him, named for him, and by his act made 
the Capital of the Nation; the Government completed it. 
New York has already shown that she will do far better 
than this." 

The Thirteen Elm Trees, about ten or fifteen minutes' 
walk from General Grant's Tomb, were planted by Alex- 



Rest in peace by stately rivers martyred soldiers of the 

free, 
Rest brave captain, at our threshold, where the Hudson 

meets the sea. 

Wallace Bruce. 



47 



Kiuet 



^Up ander Hamilton in his door-yard, a century ago, to com- 

^^"'^ memorate the thirteen original States. This property 

^UD0On was purchased by the late Hon. Orlando Potter, of New 
York, with the following touch of patriotic sentiment: 
" These famous trees are located in the northeast corner 
of One Hundred and Forty-third street and Convent Ave- 
nue; or, on lots fourteen and fifteen," said the auctioneer 
to the crowd that gathered at the sale. " In order that 
the old property with the trees may be kept unbroken, 
should the purchaser desire, we will sell lots 8 to 21 
inclusive in one batch! How much am I offered? " " One 
hundred thousand dollars," quietly responded Mr. Potter. 
A ripple of excitement ran through the crowd, and the 
bid was quickly run up to $120,000 by speculators. *' One 
hundred and twenty-five thousand," said Mr. Potter. Then 
there were several thousand dollar bids, and the auction- 
eer said: "Do I hear one hundred and thirty?" Mr. 
Potter nodded. He nodded again at the " thirty-five " 
and " forty " and then some one raised him $250. " Five 
hundred," remarked Mr. Potter, and the bidding was done. 
** Sold for $140,500!" cried the auctioneer. Mr. Potter 
smiled and drew his check for the amount. " I can't say 
what I will do with the property," said Mr. Potter. " You 
can rest assured, however, that the trees will not be cut 
down." 

Edgewater, opposite Grant's Tomb on the west bank, 
lies between Undercliff on the north and Shadyside on 
the south. The latter place was made historic by Anthony 
Wayne's capture of supplies for the American army in 
the summer of 1780 which formed the basis of a satirical 
poem by Major Andre, entitled "The Cow Chase." 

The steamer is now approaching 129th street, and we 
turn again ^ith pride to the beautiful tomb of General 
Grant which fittingly marks one point of a great triangle 
of fame — the heroic struggle of the American soldiers 
in 1776, the home of Alexander Hamilton, and the burial 
place of the greatest soldier of the Civil War. 



48 



Woodman, spare that tree ! 

Touch not a single bough ! 
In youth it sheltered me, 

And I will protect it now, 

George P. Morris. 



One Hundred and Twenty-Ninth Street to Yonkers. 

This upper landing of the Hudson River Day Line has 
a beautiful location and is a great convenience to the 
dwellers of northern Manhattan. On leaving the pier 
the steel-arched structure of Riverside Drive is seen on 
the right. The valley here spanned, in the neighborhood 
of 127th Street, was once known as " Marritje Davids' 
Fly," and the local name for this part of New York 
above Claremont Heights is still known as " Manhattan- 
ville." The Convent of the Sacred Heart is visible among 
the trees, and 

Trinity Cemetery's Mcnuments soon gleam along the 
wooded bank. Among her distinguished dead is the grave 
of General John A. Dix whose words rang across the 
land sixty days before the attack on Fort Sumter : " If 
any man attempts to pull down the American flag shoot 
him on the spot." The John A. Dix Post of New York 
comes hither each Decoration Day and garlands with 
imposing ceremonies his grave and the graves of their 
comrades. 

Near Carmansville was the home of Audubon, the 
ornithologist, and the residences above the cemetery are 
grouped together as Audubon Park. Near at hand is the 
New York Institute for the Deaf and Dumb, and pleas- 
antly located near the shore the River House once known 
as West-End Hotel. 

Washington Heights rise in a bold bluff above Jeffrey's 
Hook. After the withdrawal of the American army from 
Long Island, it became apparent to General Washington 
and Hamilton that New York would have to be abandoned. 
General Greene and Congress believed in maintaining the 
fort, but future developments showed that Washington 
was right. The American troops, so far as clothing or 
equipment was concerned, were in a pitiable condition, 
and the result of the struggle makes one of the darkest 



Faith's pioneers and Freedom's martyrs sleep 
Beneath their shade: and under their old boughs 
The wise and brave of generations past 
Walked every Sabbath to the house of God. 

Henry T. Tuckerman. 



49 



C6e 



2r!)0 pages of the war. On the 12th of November Washington 

started from Stony Point for Fort Lee and arrived the 
ipUU^On 13th, finding to his disappointment that General Greene, 
ISitiEt instead of having made arrangements for evacuating, was, 

on the contrary, reinforcing Fort Washington. The entire 
defense numbered only about 2000 men, mostly militia, 
with hardly a coat, to quote an English writer, *' that 
was not out at the elbows." "On the night of the 14th 
thirty flat-bottomed boats stole quietly up the Hudson, 
passed the American forts undiscovered, and made their 
way through Spuyten Duyvil Creek into Harlem River. 
The means were thus provided for crossing that river, 
and landing before unprotected parts of the American 
works." 

According to Irving, "On the 15th General Howe sent 
a summons to surrender, with a threat of extremities 
should he have to carry the place by assault." Magaw, 
in his reply, intimated a doubt that General Howe would 
execute a threat " so unworthy of himself and the British 
nation; but give me leave," added he, "to assure his 
Excellency, that, actuated by the most glorious cause that 
mankind ever fought in, I am determined to defend this 
post to the very last extremity." 

"Apprised by the colonel of his peril, General Greene 
sent over reinforcements, with an exhortation to him to 
persist in his defense; and dispatched an express to Gen- 
eral Washington, who was at Hackensack, where the 
troops from Peekskill were encamped. It was nightfall 
when Washington arrived at Fort Lee. Greene and 
Putnam were over at the besieged fortress. He threw 
himself into a boat, and had partly crossed the river, 
when he met those Generals returning. They informed 
him of the garrison having been reinforced, and assured 
him that it was in high spirits, and capable of making 
a good defense. It was with difficulty, however, they 
could prevail on him to return with them to the Jersey 
shore, for he was excessively excited." 

50 Hark I Freedom's arms ring far and wide; 

Again these forts with beacons gleam; 
Loud cannon roar on every side — 
1 start, I wake; I did but dream. 

Wallace Bruce. 



" Early the next morning, Magaw made his disposi- ^j)Z 
tions for the expected attack. His forces, with the recent ^. 
addition, amounted to nearly three thousand men. As IPU 09011 



the fort could not contain above a third of its defenders, 
most of them were stationed about the outworks." 

About noon, a heavy cannonade thundered along the 
rocky hills, and sharp volleys of musketry, proclaimed 
that the action was commenced. 

" Washington, surrounded by several of his officers, had 
been an anxious spectator of the battle from the opposite 
side of the Hudson. Much of it was hidden from him 
by intervening hills and forest; but the roar of cannonry 
from the valley of the Harlem River, the sharp and 
incessant reports of rifles, and the smoke rising above 
the tree-tops, told him of the spirit with which the assault 
was received at various points, and gave him for a time 
hope that the defense might be successful. The action 
about the lines to the south lay open to him, and could 
be distinctly seen through a telescope; and nothing en- 
couraged him more than the, gallant style in which Cad- 
walader with inferior force maintained his position. When 
he saw him however, assailed in flank, the line broken, 
and his troops, overpowered by numbers, retreating to 
the fort, he gave up the game as lost. The worst sight 
of all, was to behold his men cut down and bayoneted 
by the Hessians while begging quarter. It is said so 
completely to have overcome him, that he wept with the 
tenderness of a child." 

" Seeing the flag go into the fort from Knyphausen's 
division, and surmising it to be a summons to surrender, 
he wrote a note to Magaw, telling him if he could hold 
out until evening and the place could not be maintained, 
he would endeavor to bring ofl: the garrison in the night. 
Capt. Gooch, of Boston, a brave and daring man, offered 
to be the bearer of the note. He ran down to the river, 
jumped into a small boat, pushed over the river, landed 
under the bank, ran up to the fort and delivered the 



m\ytt 



Up and down the valley of the Hudson the contend- 
ing armies surged like the ebbing and flowing of the 
tides. 

William Wait. 



51 



Cfte 



message, came out, ran and jumped over the broken 
ground, dodging the Hessians, some of whom struck at 
him with their pieces and others attempted to thrust him 
with their bayonets; escaping through them, he got to 
his boat and returned to Fort Lee." 

Washington's message arrived too late. " The fort was 
so crowded by the garrison and the troops which had 
retreated into it, that it was difficult to move about. The 
enemy, too, were in possession of the little redoubts around, 
and could have poured in showers of shells and ricochet 
balls that would have made dreadful slaughter." It was 
no longer possible for Magaw to get his troops to man 
the lines; he was compelled, therefore, to yield himself 
and his garrison prisoners of war. The only terms 
granted them were, that the men should retain their bag- 
gage and the officers their swords. 

Fort Lee, directly across the river, had a commanding 
position, but was entirely useless to the Revolutionary 
army after the fall of Fort Washington. It was there- 
fore immediately abandoned to the British, as was also 
Fort Constitution, another redoubt near at hand. 

It will be remembered that the American army after 
long continued disaster in and about New York, retreated 
southward from Fort Lee and Hackensack to the Dela- 
ware, where Washington with a strategic stroke brought 
dismay on his enemies and restored confidence to his 
friends and the Patriots' Cause. 

The Palisades, or Great Chip Rock, as they were known 
by the old Dutch settlers, present the same bold front 
to the river that the Giant's Causeway does to the ocean. 
Their height at Fort Lee, where the bold cliffs first assert 
themselves, is three hundred feet, and they extend about 
seventeen or eighteen miles to the hills of Rockland 
County. A stroll along the summit reveals the fact that 
they are almost as broken and fantastic in form as the 
great rocks along the Elbe in Saxon-Switzerland. 

As the basaltic trap-rock is one of the oldest geological 



52 



The Palisades in sterner pride 
Tower as the gloom steals o'er the tide, 
For the great stream a bulwark meet 
That laves its rock-encumbered feet. 

Robert C. Sands. 



formations, we might still appropriately style the Pali- STftC 
sades "a chip of the old block." They separate the rK|t»itfnn 
valley of the Hudson from the valley of the Hackensack. l|^WU»On 
The Hackensack rises in Rockland Lake opposite Sing Rjtj^t 
Sing, within two or three hundred yards of the Hudson, 
and the rivers flow thirty miles side by side. Some 
geologists think that originally they were one river, but 
they are now separated from each other by a wall more 
substantial than even the 2,000 mile structure of the 
"Heathen Chinee." 

It might also be interesting to note Prof. Newberry's 
idea that in pre-glacial times this part of the continent 
was several hundred feet higher than at present, and 
that the Hudson wai a very rapid stream and much 
larger than now, draining is it did the Great Lakes: 
that the St. Lawrence found .ts way through the Hudson 
Channel following pretty r.z:\i''j the line of the present 
Mohawk, and the great river c-np tied into the Atlantic 
some 80 miles south of Staten Island. This idea is con- 
firmed by the soundings of the coast survey which dis- 
cover the ancient page of the Hudson as here indicated 
on the floor of the sea far out where the ocean is 500 
feet in depth. A speculation of what a voyager a few 
million years ago would have then seen might, however, 
as Hamlet observes, be " to consider somewhat too curi- 
ously " for ordinary up-to-date tourists. But even, grant- 
ing all this to be true, the Palisades were already old, 
thrown up long ages before, between a rift in the earth's 
suriace, where it cooled in columnar form. The rocky 
mould which held it, being of softer material, finally dis- 
integrated and crumbled away, leaving the cliff with its 
peculiar perpendicular formation. 

A recent writer has said : ** The Palisades are among 
the wonders of the world. Only three other places equal 
them in importance, but each of the four is different 
from the others, and the Palisades are unique. The 
Giant's Causeway on the north coast of Ireland, and the 



Where the mighty elite's look upward in their glory and 

their glow 
I see a wondrous river in its beauty southward flow. 
Thomas C. Harbaugh. 



53 






cliffs at Kawaddy in India, are thought by many to have 
been the result of the same upheaval of nature as the 
Palisades; but the Hudson rocks seem to have preserved 
their entirety — to have come up in a body, as it were — 
while the Giant's Causeway owes its celebrity to the 
ruined state in which the Titanic forces of nature have 
left it. The third wonder is at Staffa, in Scotland, where 
the rocks have been thrown into such a position as to 
justify the name of Fingal's Cave, which they bear, and 
which was bestowed on them in the olden times before 
Scottish history began to be written. It is singular how 
many of the names which dignify, or designate, favorite 
spots of the Giant's Causeway have been duplicated in 
the Palisades. Among the Hudson rocks are several 
' Lady's Chairs,' * Lover's Leaps,' ' Devil's Toothpicks,' 
* Devil's Pulpits,' and, in many spots on the water's edge, 
especially those most openly exposed to the weather, we 
see exactly the same conformations which excite admira- 
tion and wonder in the Irish rocks." 

Under the base of these cliffs William Cullen Bryant 
one Sabbath morning wrote his beautiful lines: 



Cool shades and dews are round my way, 

And silence of the early day ; 

Mid the dark rocks that watch his bed, 

Glitters the mighty Hudson spread, 

Unripplcd, save by drops that fall 

From shrubs that fringe his mountain wall ; 

And o'er the clear, still water swells 

The music of the Sabbath bells. 

All, save this little nook of land. 

Circled with trees, on which I stand ; 

All, save that line of hills which lie 

Suspended in the mimic sky — 

Seems a blue void, above, below, 

Through which the white clouds come and go ; 

And from the green world's farthest steep 

I gaze into the airy deep." 



.54 



A mellow sunset was settling upon the hills and 
waters and a thousand flashes played over the distant 
city as its spires and prominent objects caught its glow, 

N. P. Willis. 



There are many strange stories connected with the ^TflC 
Palisades, and one narrator says : " remarkable disappear- 
ances have occurred in the vicinity that have never been 10UD0On 
explained. On a conical-shaped rock near Clinton Point TtJfyn^t* 
a young- man and a young woman were seen standing 
some half a century ago. Several of their friends, who 
were back some thirty feet from the face of the cliff, 
saw them distinctly, and called out to them not to 
approach too near the edge. The young couple laughingly 
sent some answer back, and a moment later vanished 
as by magic. Their friends rushed to the edge of the 
cliff but saw no trace of them. They noticed at once 
that the tide was out, and at the base three or four 
boatmen were sauntering about as though nothing had 
happened (forgetting even, as Bryant did, that a vertical 
line from the top of the cliff on account of the crumbling 
debris of ages make it impossible for even the strongest 
arm to hurl a stone from the summit to the margin of 
the river). A diligent search was instituted. Friends 
and boatmen joined in the search, but from that day to 
this they have never been heard from, no trace of them 
has been found, and the mystery of their disappearance 
is as complete now as it was five minutes after they van- 
ished — a more tragical termination than the story of the 
old pilot on a Lake George steamer, who, surrounded one 
morning by a group of tourist-questioners, pointed to 
Roger Slide Mountain, and said: "A couple went up there 
and never came back again." " What do you suppose, 
captain," said a fair-haired, anxious listener, " ever be- 
came of them? " " Can't tell," said the captain, " some 
folks said they went down on the other side." 

The old Palisade Mountain House, a few miles above 
Fort Lee, had a commanding location, but was burned in 
1884 and never rebuilt. Pleasant villas are here and there 
springing up along this rocky balcony of the lower Hudson, 
and probably the entire summit will some day abound in 
castles and luxuriant homes. It is in fact within the 

What love yon cliffs and steeps could tell 55 

If vocal made by Fancy's spell ! 

Robert C. Sands. 



Cfte 
l])uD0on 



limit of possibility that this may in the future present 
the finest residential street in the world, with a natural 
macadamized boulevard midway between the Hudson and 
the sky. 

It g-rieves one to see the gray rocks torn away for 
building material, but, as fast as man destroys, nature 
kindly heals the wound; or to keep the Palisade figure 
more complete, she recaptures the scarred and broken 
battlements, unfolding along the steep escarpment her 
waving standards of green. It sometimes seems as if 
one call almost see her selecting the easiest point of 
attack, marshalling her forces, running her parallels with 
Boadicea-like skill, and carrying her streaming banners, 
more real than Macbeth's "Birnam-Wood" to crowning 
rampart and lofty parapet. 

The New York side from the Battery to Inwood, the 
northern end of Manhattan Island, is already " well peo- 
pled." Until recently the land about Fort Washington 
has been held in considerable tracts and the very names 
of these suburban points suggest altitude and outlook — 
Highbridgeville, Fordham Heights, Morris Heights, Uni- 
versity Heights, Kingsbridge Heights, Mount Hope, &c. 
The growth of the city all the way to Jerome and Van 
Cortlandt's Park during the last few years has been 
marvelous. It has literally stepped over the Harlem to 
find room in the picturesque county of Westchester. 

The Island of Manhattan. — As we approach the north- 
ern limit of Manhattan we feel that in the preservation 
of the beautiful name " Manhattan," distinctive of New 
York's chief borough, Irving's dream has been happily 
realized. The meaning of this Indian word has been 
the subject of much discussion. It is, however, simply 
the name of a tribe. As the old historian De Laet says, 
" On the east side, on the main land dwell the Man- 
hattoes," and again from the " Documentary History of 
New York." " It is so called from the people which in- 
habited the main land on the east side of the river." 



56 



Pleasant it is to lie amid the grass. 

Under these shady locusts Jialf the day, 
Watching the ships reflected in the Bay, 

Topmast and shroud, as in a wizard's glass. 

Thomas Bailey Aldrich. 



The word Manhattan signifies also it is said : " The ^Tjb^ 
People of the Islands," and it was evidently used by the ^ ^ 
Indians as a generic term designating the inhabitants ipUUpOu 
of the island itself, and also of Long Island and the KfV)0f 

Neversink. This is in accordance with the testimony of 
Van der Donck. With Irving we all recognize the music 
and poetry of the name and are proud that our river of 
beauty is so happily heralded. 

Spuyten Duyvil Creek. — Above Washington Heights, on 
the east bank, the Spuyten Duyvil meets the Hudson. 
This stream is the northern boundary of New York Island, 
and a short distance east of the Hudson bears the name 
of Harlem River. Its course is south-east and joins the 
East River at Randall's Island, just above Hell Gate. 
It is a curious fact that this modest stream should be 
bounded by such suggestive appellations as Hell Gate 
and Spuyten Duyvil. This is the first point of special 
legendary interest to one journeying up the Hudson and 
it takes its name according to the veracious Knicker- 
bocker, from the following incident: It seems that the 
famous Antony Van Corlear was despatched one" evening 
with an important message up the Hudson. When he 
arrived at this creek the wind was high, the elements 
were in an uproar, and no boatman at hand. " For a 
short time," it is said, " he vapored like an impatient 
ghost upon the brink, and then, bethinking himself of the 
urgency of his errand, took a hearty embrace of his stone 
bottle, swore most valorously that he would swim across 
en spijt 671 Duyvil (in spite of the Devil), and daringly 
plunged into the stream. Scarce had he buffeted half 
way over when he was observed to struggle violently, as 
if battling with the spirit of the waters. Instinctively 
he put his trumpet to his mouth, and giving a vehement 
blast — sank forever to the bottom." 

The main branch of the Hudson River Railroad, with 
its station at Forty-second Street and Fourth Avenue, 
crosses the Harlem River at Mott Haven, and, following 

O legends full of life and health, 5*7 

That live when records fail and die, 
Ye are the Hudson's richest wealth. 

The frondage of her history ! 

Wallace Bruce. 



^uD0on 



its northern bank, meets the Hudson at this point, where 
the 30th Street branch, following the river, joins the 
main line. The steamer now passes Riverdale, with its 
beautiful residences and the Convent of Mount St. Vin- 
cent, one of the prominent landmarks of the Hudson, 
located on grounds bought of Edwin Forrest, the tra- 
gedian, whose " Font Hill Castle " appears in the fore- 
ground, and we come to 

Yonkers, on the east bank, seventeen miles from New 
York, at the mouth of the Nepperhan. West of the creek 
is a large rock, called A-mac-lea-sin, the great stone to 
which the Indians paid reverence as an evidence of the 
permanency and immutability of their deity. The Mahican 
Village at the mouth of the creek was called Nappeche- 
mak. European settlements were made as early as 1639, 
as shown by deeds of purchase. Here are many im- 
portant manufacturing industries: carpet, silk, and hat 
factories; mowers and reapers, gutta percha, rubber and 
pencil companies. Its " Recreation Pavilion " on the pier 
was a noble thing for the city to build — costing $50,000. 
The structure is of steel and capable of accommodating 
5,000 people. 

It is said that Yonkers derived its name from Yonk-herr 
— the young heir, or young sir, of the Phillipse manor. 
Until after the middle of the seventeenth century the 
Phillipse family had their principal residence at Castle 
Phillipse, Sleepy Hollow, but having purchased " property 
to the southward " from Adrian Van der Donck and 
obtained from the English king a patent creating the 
manor of Phillipsburgh, they moved from their old castle 
to the new " Manor Hall," which at this time was prob- 
ably the finest mansion on the Hudson. This property 
was confiscated by act of Legislature in 1779, as Frederick 
Phillipse, third lord of the manor, was thought to lean 
toward royalty, and sold by the " Commissioners of For- 
feiture " in 1785. It was afterwards purchased by John 
Jacob Astor, then passed to the Government, was bought 



58 



Once more I walk in the dark old street 

Wearily to and fro: — 
But I sit no more on the desolate pier 

Watching the river flow. 

Richard Henry Stoddard. 



by the village of Yonkers in 1868, and became the City ^h^ 
Jiall in 1872. The older portion of the house was built 
in 1682, the present front in 1745. The woodwork is JJ)UD0On 
very interesting, also the ceilings, the large hall and TJJfVigf 
the wide fire-place. In the room still pointed out as 
Washington's, the fire-place retains the old tiles, " illus- 
trating familiar passages in Bible history," fifty on each 
side, looking as clear as if they were made but yesterday. 

Mary Phillipse, belle of the neighborhood, and known 
in tradition as Washington's first love, was born in the 
" Manor House " July 3, 1730. Washington first met her 
on a visit to New York in 1756, after his return from 
Braddock's campaign, as guest of Beverly Robinson, who 
had married her elder sister. 

It has been claimed by some writers that he proposed 
and was rejected, but it is doubtful whether he ever 
was serious in his attentions. At least there is no evi- 
dence that he ever " told his love," and she finally married 
Col. Roger Morris, one of Washington's associates on 
Braddock's stafl:". The best part of residential Yonkers 
lies to the northward, beautifully embowered in trees as 
seen from the Hudson. A line of electric street cars run 
north along Warburton Avenue. The street known as 
Broadway, is a continuation of Broadway, New York. 
Many of the river towns still keep this name, probably 
prophetic as a part of the great Broadway which may 
extend some day from the Battery to Peekskill. 

Almost opposite Yonkers a ravine or sort of step-ladder 
cleft, now known as Alpine Gorge, reaches up the pre- 
cipitous sides of the Palisades. The landing here was 
formerly called Closter's, from which a road zigzags to 
the top of the cliff and thence to Closter Village. Here 
Lord Grey disembarked in October, 1778, and crossed to 
Hackensack Valley, " surprising and massacring Col. Bay- 
ler's patriots, despite their surrender and calls for mercy." 

Indian Head (510 feet) about two miles north of Alpine 
Gorge, is the highest point of the Palisades. 

Eve o'er our path is stealing fast; 59 

Yon quivering splendors are the last; 
His latest glories fringe the height 
Behind us with their golden light. 

Robert C. Sands. 



C!)e 

^UD0On Yonkers to West Point. 

Ji^lU^V Passing Glen wood, now a suburban station of Yonkers, 

conspicuous from the Colgate mansion near the river bank, 
built by a descendant of the English Colgates who were 
familiar friends of William Pitt, and leaders of the Liberal 
Club in Kent, England, and " Greystone," once the country 
residence of the late Samuel J. Tilden, Governor of New 
York, and presidential candidate in 1876, we come to 

Hastings, where a party of Hessians during the Revolu- 
tionary struggle were surprised and cut to pieces by 
troops under Colonel Sheldon. It was here also that Lord 
Cornwallis embarked for Fort Lee after the capture of 
Fort WashingtoM, and here in 1850 Garibaldi, the liberator 
of Italy, whose centennial was observed July 4, 1907, 
frequently came to spend the Sabbath and visit friends 
when he was living at Staten Island. Although there is 
apparently little to interest in the village, there are many 
beautiful residences in the immediate neighborhood, and 
the Old Post road for two miles to the northward fur- 
nishes a beautiful walk or driveway, well shaded by old 
locust trees. The tract of country from Spuyten Duyvil 
to Hastings was called by the Indians Kekesick and 
reached east as far as the Bronx River. 

Dobbs Ferry is now at hand, named after an old 
Swedish ferryman. The village has not only a delightful 
location but it is also beautiful in itself. In 1781 it was 
Washington's headquarters, and the old house, still stand- 
ing, is famous as the spot where General Washington and 
the Count de Rochambeau planned the campaign against 
Yorktown; where the evacuation of New York was ar- 
ranged by General Clinton and Sir Guy Carleton the 
British commander, and where the first salute to the 
flag of the United States was fired by a British man-of- 
war. A deep glen, known as Paramus, opposite Dobbs 
Ferry, leads to Tappan and New Jersey. Cornwallis 

A lovely country for a summer encampment, breezy 
60 hills commanding wide prospects, shady valleys watered 

by bright pastoral streams, the Bronx, the Spraine and 
the Neperan. Washington Irving. 



C6e 



landed here in 1776, It is now known as Snedden's 
Landing. 

At Dobbs Ferry, June 14, 1894, the base-stone of a me- i^U 00011 
morial shaft was laid with imposing ceremony by the New Tr>fi4^|. 
York State Society of the Sons of the American Revolu- *^**''^ 
tion, which erected the monument. There were one 
thousand Grand Army veterans in line, and addresses by 
distinguished orators and visitors. The Society and its 
guests, including members of the cabinet, officers of the 
army and navy, and prominent men of various States, 
accompanied by full Marine Band of the navy yard, with 
a detachment of Naval Reserves, participated in the event. 

Voyagers up the river that day saw the " Miantonomoh " 
and the " Lancaster," under the command of Rear- Admiral 
Gherardi, anchored mid-stream to take part in the 
exercises. During the Revolution this historic house was 
leased by a Dutch farmer holding under Frederick 
Phillipse as landlord. After the war it was purchased 
by Peter Livingston and known since as the Livingston 
House. Arnold and Andre were to have met here but 
providentially for the American cause, the meeting took 
place at Haverstraw. 

The Indian name of Dobbs Ferry was Wecquaskeck, 
and it is said by Ruttenber that the outlines of the old 
Indian village can still be traced by numerous shell-beds. 
It was located at the mouth of Wicker's Creek which 
was called by the Indians Wysquaqua. 

Tappan Zee. — The steamer is now entering Irving's 
rich domain, and Tappan Zee lapping the threshold of 
" Sunnyside," seems almost a part of his very dooryard. 
The river, which has averaged about a mile in breadth, 
begins to gradually widen at Hastings, and almost seems 
like a gentle, reposeful lake. 

Piermont, whose " mile-long-pier," built many years 
ago by the Erie Railroad, hardly mars the landscape so 
great is the majesty of the river, is seen on the west 
bank with Tower Hill rising above it from which four 

We have a charming position for our French encamp- ol 

ment along the Hudson among rocks and under mag- 
nificent tulip trees. 

Count Dumas. 






states are seen. The view includes Lonp; Island, the 
Sound and the Orange Mountains on the south, with the 
Catskills to the north and Berkshires to the northeast. 
T.ouis Gaylord Clark, a friend of Irving, and an early 
literary associate had a cottage on Pierniont Hills. 

Turning to the eastern shore, we see " Nuits," the Cot- 
tinet residence, Italian in style, built of Caen stone, 
" Nevis," home of the late Col. James Hamilton, son of 
Alexander Hamilton, the George L. Schuyler mansion, the 
late Cyrus W. Field's, and many pleasant places about 
Abbotsford, and come to 

Irvington, on the east bank, 24 miles from New York, 
once known as Dearman's, but changed in compliment to 
the great writer and lover of the Hudson, who after a 
long sojourn in foreign lands, returned to live by the 
tranquil waters of Tappan Zee. In a letter to his brother 
he refers to Sleepy Hollow as the favorite resort of his 
boyhood, and says: "The Hudson is in a manner my first 
and last l©ve, and after all my wanderings and seeminp; 
infidelities, I return to it with a heartfelt preference over 
all the rivers of the world." As at Stratford-on-Avon 
every flower is redolent of Shakespeare, and at Melrose 
every stone speaks of Walter Scott, so here on every 
breeze floats the spirit of Washington Irving. A short 
walk of half a mile north from the station brings us 
to his much-loved 

" Sunnyside." Irving aptly describes it in one of his 
stories as " made up of gable-ends, and full of angles 
and corners as an old cocked hat. It is said, in fact, 
to have been modeled after the hat of Peter the Head- 
strong, as the Escurial of Spain was fashioned after the 
gridiron of the blessed St. Lawrence." Wolfert's Roost, 
as it was once styled (Roost signifying Rest), took its 
name from Wolfert Acker, a former owner. It consisted 
originally of ten acres when purchased by Irving in 
IR.STi, but eight acres were afterwards added. With great 
humor Irving put above the porch entrance " George Har- 



62 



Irving chose his residence in the valley, not amid 
the mountains; by the fields and meadows of the broad 
Tappan Zee, rather than the Highlands; in a congenial 
region suited to his temperament. 

Dr. Bethune. 



vey, Boum*r," Boumeister being an old Dutch word for ^j)0 
architect. A storm-worn weather-cock, " which once bat- j. ^ 
tied with the wind on the top of the Stadt House of New iPU 00011 
Amsterdam in the time of Peter Stuyvesant, erects his J^f^0|^ 
crest on the gable, and a gilded horse in full gallop, once 
the weather-cock of the great Van der Heyden palace 
of Albany, glitters in the sunshine, veering with every 
breeze, on the peaked turret over the portal." 

About fifty years ago a cutting of Walter Scott's favor- 
ite ivy at Melrose Abbey was transported across the 
Atlantic, and trained over the porch of " Sunnyside," by 
the hand of Mrs. Renwick, daughter of Rev. Andrew 
Jeffrey of Lochmaben, known in girlhood as the " Bonnie 
Jessie " of Annandale, or the " Blue-eyed Lassie " of 
Robert Burns: — a graceful tribute, from the shrine of 
Waverley to the nest of Knickerbocker: 

A token of friendship immortal 

With Washington Irving returns : — 
Scott's ivy entwined o'er his portal 

By the Blue-eyed Lassie of Burns. 

Scott's cordial greeting at Abbotsford, and his persist- 
ence in getting Murray to reconsider the publication of 
the " Sketch Book," which he had previously declined, 
were never forgotten by Irving. It was during a critical 
period of his literary career, and the kindness of the Great 
Magician, in directing early attention to his genius, is 
still cherished by every reader of the " Sketch Book " 
from Manhattan to San Francisco. The hearty grasp of 
the Minstrel at the gateway of Abbotsford was in reality 
a warm handshake to a wider brotherhood beyond the sea. 

Washington Irving. — While he was building " Sunny- 
side," a letter came from Daniel Webster, then Secretary 
of State, appointing him minister to Spain. It was 
unexpected and unsolicited, and Webster remarked that 
day to a friend: "Washington Irving to-day will be the 
most surprised man in America." Irving had already 

In purple tints woven together gg 

The Hudson shakes hands with the Tweed, 
Commingling with Abbotsford's heather 

The clover of Sunnyside's mead. 

Wallace Bruce. 



,-^- shown diplomatic ability in London in promoting: the 

^Dv settlement of the " North Western Boundary," and his 

IbUDfiiOn appointment was received with universal favor. Then as 
now Sunnyside was already a Mecca for travelers, and, 
liiluCr among many well-known to fame, was a young man, 
afterwards Napoleon the Third. Referring to his visit, 
Irving wrote in 1853 : " Napoleon and Eugenie, Emperor 
and Empress! The one I have had as a guest at my 
cottage, the other I have held as a pet child upon my 
knee in Granada. The last I saw of Eugenie Montijo, 
she was one of the reigning belles of Madrid; now, she 
is upon the throne, launched from a returnless shore, 
upon a dangerous sea, infamous for its tremendous ship- 
wrecks. Am I to live to see the catastrophe of her career, 
and the end of this suddenly conjured up empire, which 
seems to be of such stuff as dreams are made of? I 
confess my personal acquaintance with the individuals 
in this historical I'omance gives me uncommon interest 
in it; but I consider it stamped with danger and insta- 
bility, and as liable to extravagant vicissitudes as one 
of Dumas' novels." A wonderful prophecy completely 
fulfilled in the short space of seventeen years. 

The aggregate sale of Irving's works when he received 
his portfolio to Spain was already more than half a 
million copies, with an equal popularity achieved in 
Britain. No writer was ever more truly loved on both 
sides of the Atlantic, and his name is cherished to-day 
in England as fondly as it is in our own country. It 
has been the good fortune of the writer to spend many 
a delightful day in the very centre of Merrie England, 
in the quiet town of Stratford-on-Avon, and feel the 
gentle companionship of Irving. Of all writers who have 
brought to Stratford their heart homage Irving stands the 
acknowledged chief. The sitting-room in the " Red Horse 
Hotel," where he was disturbed in his midnight reverie, 
is still called Irving's room, and the walls are hung with 
portraits taken at different periods of his life. Mine 

6 1 

How many such men as Washington Irving are there 
in America. God don't send m.iny such spirits into this 
world. 

Lord Byron. 



host said that visitors from every land were as much 
interested in this room as in Shakespeare's birth-place. 
The remark may have been intensified to flatter an Amer- 
ican visitor, but there are few names dearer to the Anglo- 
Saxon race than that on the plain headstone in the burial- 
yard of Sleepy Hollow. Sunnyside is scarcely visible to 
the Day Line tourist. A little g'leam of color here and 
there amid the trees, close to the river bank, near a 
small boat-house, merely indicates its location; and the 
traveler by train has only a hurried glimpse, as it is 
within one hundred feet of the New York Central Rail- 
road. Tappan Zee, at this point, is a little more than 
two miles wide and over the beautiful expanse Irving has 
thrown a wondrous charm. There is, in fact, " magic in 
the web " of all his works. A few modern critics, lacking 
appreciation alike for humor and genius, may regard his 
essays as a thing of the past, but as long as the Mahicani- 
tuk, the ever-flowing Hudson, pours its waters to the sea, 
as long as Rip Van Winkle sleeps in the blue Catskills, 
or the " Headless Horseman " rides at midnight along the 
Old Post Road en ro2ite for Teller's Point, so long will the 
writings of Washington Irving be remembered and cher- 
ished. We somehow feel the reality of every legend he 
has given us. The spring bubbling up near his cottage 
was brought over, as he gravely tells us, in a churn 
from Holland by one of the old time settlers, and we 
are half inclined to believe it; and no one ever thinks 
of doubting that the " Flying Dutchman," Mynheer Van 
Dam, has been rowing for two hundred years and never 
made a port. It is in fact still said by the old inhabi- 
tants, that often in the soft twilight of summer evenings, 
when the sea is like glass and the opposite hills throw 
their shadows across it, that the low vigorous pull of 
oars is heard but no boat is seen. 

According to Irving " Sunnyside " was once the property 
of old Baltus Van Tassel, and here lived the fair Katrina, 
beloved by all the youths of the neighborhood, but miore 



Here was no castle in the air, but a realized day- 
dream. Irving was there, as genial, humorous and im- 
aginative as if he had never wandered from the primal 
haunts of his childhood and his fame. 

Henry T. Tackerman. 



65 



Cfte 



especially by Ichabod Crane, the country school-master, 
and a reckless youth by the name of Van Brunt. Irving 
f^UDS^On tells us that he thought out the story one morning on 
London Bridge, and went home and completed it in thirty- 
six hours. The character of Ichabod Crane was a sketch 
of a young man whom he met at Kinderhook when writing 
his Knickerbocker history. It will be remembered that 
Ichabod Crane went to a quilting-bee at the home of 
Mynheer Van Tassel, and, after the repast, was regaled 
with various ghost stories peculiar to the locality. When 
the " party " was over he lingered for a time with the 
fair Katrina, but sallied out soon after with an air quite 
desolate and chop-fallen. The night grew darker and 
darker. He had never before felt so lonesome and miser- 
able. As he passed the fatal tree where Arnold was 
captured, there started up before him the identical " Head- 
less Horseman " to whom he had been introduced by the 
story of Brom Bones. Nay, not entirely headless; for 
the head which " should have rested upon his shoulders 
was carried before him on the pommel of the saddle. His 
terror rose to desperation. He rode for death and life. 
The strange horseman sped beside him at an equal pace. 
He fell into a walk. The strange horseman did the same. 
He endeavored to sing a psalm-tune, but his tongue clove 
to the roof of his mouth. If he could but reach the 
bridge Ichabod thought he would be safe. Away then 
he flew in rapid flight. He reached the bridge, he thun- 
dered over the resounding planks. Then he saw the 
goblin rising in his stirrups, and in the very act of 
launching his head at him. It encountered his cranium 
with a tremendous crash. He was tumbled headlong 
into the dirt, and the black steed and the spectral rider 
passed by like a whirlwind. The next day tracks of 
horses deeply dented in the road were traced to the bridge, 
beyond which, on the bank of a broad part of the brook, 
where the water ran deep and black, was found the hat 
of the unfortunate Ichabod, and close beside it a shattered 

66 I beg you will have the kindness to let me know when 

Mr. Ining takes pen in hand again; for assuredly I 
shall expect a very great treat which I may chance never 
to hear of but through your kindness. 

Walter Scott. 



pumpkin." All honor to him who fills this working-day ChC 
world with humor, romance and beauty! „ 

Lyndehurst, Helen M. Gould's residence. A short dis- mUDSOH 
tance north of " Sunnyside " is the home of Helen M. T^^tVirr 
Gould, whose modest and liberal use of wealth in noble 
charities has endeared her to evei-y American heart. The 
place was first known as the Paulding Manor House, 
where William Paulding, early mayor of New York, and 
nephew of one of the captors of Andre had his countiy 
home. It is a beautiful specimen of old time English 
architecture, with a suggestion, as some writers have 
noted, of Newstead Abbey. This part of the Hudson is 
particularly rich in beautiful residences, rising tier upon 
tier from the river to the horizon. Albert Bierstadt, the 
artist, had here a beautiful home, unfortunately burned 
many years ago. 

The Old Post Road from New York to Albany is in 
many particulars the richest and greatest highway of 
our country. 

Tappan. — Almost opposite Irvington about two miles 
southwest of Pieraiont, is old Tappantown, where Major 
Andre was executed October 2, 1780. The removal of 
his body from Tappan to Westminster was by a special 
British ship, and a singular incident was connected with 
it. The roots of a cypress tree were found entwined about 
his skull and a scion from the tree was carried to Eng- 
land and planted in the garden adjoining Windsor Palace. 
It is a still more curious fact that the tree beneath which 
Andre was captured was struck by lightning on the day 
of Benedict Arnold's death in London. Further reference 
will be made to Andre in our description of Tarrytown, 
and also of Haverstraw, where Arnold and Andre met 
at the house of Joshua Hett Smith. 

Tarrytown, 26 miles from New York. It was here on 
the Old Post Road, now called Broadway, a little north 
of the village, that Andre was captured and Arnold's 
treachery exposed. A monument erected on the spot by 



I want to visit Washington Irving, I want to see your 
stupendous scenery, 1 want to go to the grave of 
>3rashington. 

Lord Byron. 



Cfte 
ll3iiD$on 



the people of Westchester County, October 7, 1853, bears 
the inscription : 

ON THIS SPOT, THE 23D DAY OF SEPTEMBER, 1780, THE SPY, 

MAJOR JOHN ANDRE, 
Adjutant-General of the British Army, was captured by 
John Paulding, David Williams, and Isaac Van Wart. 

ALL natives of THIS COUNTY. 

History has told the rest. 

The following" quaint ballad-verses on the young hero 
give a realistic touch to one of the most providential 
occurrences in our history: 

He with a scouting party 

Went down to Tarrytowu, 
Where he met a British officer, 

A man of high renown. 
Who says unto these gentlemen, 

" You're of the British cheer, 
I trust that you can tell me 

If there's any danger near? " 

Then up stept this young hero, 

John Paulding was his name, 
" Sir, tell us where you're going 

And also whence you came? " 
" I bear the British flag, sir ; 

I've a pass to go this way, 
I'm on an expedition, 

And have no time to stay." 

Young Paulding, however, thought that he had plenty 
of time to linger until he examined his boots, wherein 
he found the papers, and, when offered ten guineas by 
Andre, if he would allow him to pursue his journey, 
replied: "If it were ten thousand guineas you could not 
stir one step." 

The centennial anniversary of the event was com- 
memorated in 1880 by placing, through the generosity of 
John Anderson, on the original obelisk of 1853, a large 
statue representing John Paulding as a minute man. 



68 



That overruling Providence which has so often and so 
remarkably interposed in our favor, never manifested 
itself more conspicuously than in the timely discovery 
of Arnold's treachery. 

George Washington. 



Tarrytown was the very heart of the debatable ground ^f^t 
of the Revolution and many striking incidents mark its j^ »«<yntt 
early history. In 1777 Vaughan's troops landed here on iPUUSOn 
their way to attack Fort Montgomery, and here a party J^i\J0|^ 
of Americans, under Major Hunt, surprised a number of 
British refugees while playing cards at the Van Tassel 
tavern. The major completely " turned the cards " upon 
them by rushing in with brandished stick, which he 
brought down v>^ith emphasis upon the table, remarking 
with genuine American brevity, " Gentlemen, clubs are 
trumps." Here, too, according to Irving, arose the two 
great orders of chivalry, the " Cow Boys " and " Skinners." 
The former fought, or rather marauded under the Amer- 
ican, the latter under the British banner; the former were 
known as " Highlanders," the latter as the " Lower 
Party." In the zeal of service both were apt to make 
blunders, and confound the property of friend and foe. 
" Neither of them, in the heat and hurry of a foray, had 
time to ascertain the politics of a horse or cow which 
they were driving off into captivity, nor when they wrung 
the neck of a rooster did they trouble their heads whether 
he crowed for Congress or King George." 

It was also a genial, reposeful country for the faithful 
historian, Diedrich Knickerbocker; and here he picked 
up many of those legends which were given by him to 
the world. One of these was the legend connected with 
the old Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow. "A drowsy, 
dreamy influence seems to hang over the land, and to 
pervade the very atmosphere. Some say the place was 
bewitched by a high German doctor during the early 
days of the settlement; others that an old Indian chief, 
the wizard of his tribe, held his pow-wows there before 
Hendrick Hudson's discovery of the river. The dominant 
spirit, however, that haunts this enchanted region, is the 
apparition of a figure on horse-back, without a head, 
said to be the ghost of a Hessian trooper, and was known 



O waters of Pocantico ! 

Wild rivulet of wood and glen ! 
May thy glad laughter, sweet and low, 

Long, long outlive the sighs of men. 

S. H. Thayer. 



69 



2^Ji0 at all the country firesides as the * Headless horseman ' 

of Sleepy Hollow." 
lJ)UDSOn Sleepy Hollow.— The Old Dutch Church, the oldest on 
IRitlCt ^^^ Hudson, is about one-half mile north from Tarry- 

town. 

It was built by " Frederick Filipse and his wife Katrina 
Van Cortland in 1690." The material is partly of stone 
and partly of brick brought from Holland. It stands as 
an appropriate sentinel near the entrance to the burial- 
yard where Irving sleeps. After entering the gate our 




SLEEPY HOLLOW CHURCH. 

way leads past the graves of the Ackers, the Van Tassels, 
and the Van Warts, with inscriptions and plump Dutch 
cherubs on every side that often delighted the heart of 
Diedrich Knickerbocker. How many worshippers since 
that November day in 1859, have come hither with rev- 
erent footsteps to read on the plain slab this simple 
inscription: "Washington Irving, born April 3, 1783. 
Died November 28, 1859," and recall Longfellow's beau- 
tiful lines: 



70 



If ever I should wish for a retreat whither I might 
steal from the world and its distractions, and dream 
quietly away the remnant of a troubled life I know of 
none more promising than this little valley. 

Washington Irving. 



" Here lies the gentle humorist, who died 

In the bright Indian Summer of his fame. 
A simple stone, with but a date and name. 

Marks his secluded resting place beside 

The river that he loved and glorified. 

Here in the Autumn of his days he came. 
But the dry leaves of life were all aflame 

With tints that brightened and were multiplied. 

How sweet a life was his, how sweet a death ; 

Living to wing with mirth the weary hours, 
Or With romantic tales the heart to cheer ; 

Dying to leave a memory like the breath 

Of Summers full of sunshine and of showers, 
A grief and gladness in the atmosphere." 

Sleepy Hollow Church, like Sunnyside, is hidden away 
from the steamer tourist by summer foliage. Just before 
reaching Kingston Point light-house, a view, looking north- 
east up the little bay to the right, will sometimes give 
the outline of the building. Beyond this a tall granite 
shaft, erected by the Delavan family, is generally quite 
distinctly seen, and this is near the grave of Irving. A 
light-house, built in 1883, marks the point where the 
Pocantico or Sleepy Hollow Creek joins the Hudson: 

Pocantico's hushed waters glide 

Through Sleepy Hollow's haunted ground, 

And whisper to the listening tide 

The name carved o'er one lowly mound. 

To one loving our early history and legends there is 
no spot more central or delightful than Tarrytown. Irving 
humorously says that Tarrytown took its name from hus- 
bands tarrying too late at the village tavern, but its 
real derivation is Tarv/en-Dorp, or Wheat-town. The 
name of the old Indian village at this point was Alipconck 
(the place of elms). It has often occurred to the writer 
that, more than any other river, the Hudson has a dis- 
tinct personality, and also that the four main divisions 
of human life are particularly marked in the Adirondacks, 
the Catskills, the Highlands and Tappan Bay: 



Whose golden fancy wove a spell 

As lasting as the scene is fair 
And made the mountan stream and dell 

His own dream-life forever share. 

Henry T. Tuckerman. 



71 



^^jh0 The Adirondacks, childhood's glee ; 

The Cat?kills, youth with dreams o'ercast ; 
The Highlands, manhood hold and free ; 
The Tappan Zee, age come at last. 






This was the spot that Irving loved; we linger by 
his grave at Sleepy Hollow with devotion; we sit upon 
his porch at Sunnyside with reverence: 

Thrice blest and happy Tappan Zee, 
Whose banks along thy glistening tide 

Have legend, truth, and poetry 
Sweetly expressed in Sunnyside ! 

Nyack, on the west side, 27 miles from New York. The 
village, including Upper Nyack, West Nyack and South 
Nyack, has many fine suburban homes and lies in a semi- 
circle of hills which sweep back from Piermont, meeting 
the river again at the northern end of Tappan Zee. 
Tappan is derived from an Indian tribe of that name, 
which, being translated, is said to signify cold water. The 
bay is ten miles in length, vdth an average breadth of 
about two miles and a half. 

Nyack grows steadily in favor as a place for summer 
residents. The hotels, boarding-houses and suburban 
homes would increase the census as given to nearly ten 
thousand people. The West Shore Railroad is two and 
a half miles from the Hudson, with station at West 
Nyack. The Northern Railroad of New Jersey, leased 
by the New York, Lake Erie and Western (Chambers 
Street and 23d Street, New York), passes west of the Ber- 
gen Hills and the Palisades. The Ramapo Mountains, 
north of Nyack, were formerly known by ancient mariners 
as the Hook, or Point-no-Point. They come down to the 
river in little headlands, the points of which disappear 
as the steamer nears them. (The peak to the south, 
kno\\Ti as Hook Mountain, is 730 feet high.) Ball Moun- 
tain above this, and nearer the river, 650 feet. They 
were sometimes called by Dutch captains Verditege Hook. 

72 The sails hung idly all night long, 

^ I dreamed a dream of you and me; 

'Twas sweeter than the sweetest song, — 
The dream 1 dreamed on Tappan Zee. 

Wallace Bruce. 



■.w:^%::?::r^.' 



'm,{ 



^M 



Perhaps it took so long to pass these illusive headlands^. ^J)0 
reaching as they do eight miles along the western bank,, 
that it naturally seemed a very tedious point to the old ipUuSOtl 
skippers. Midway in this Ramapo Range, " set in a ]Jf fVi^r 
dimple of the hills," is — 

Rockland Lake, source of the Hackensack River, one 
hundred and fifty feet above the Hudson. The " slide 
way," by which the ice is sent down to the boats to be 
loaded, can be seen from the steamer, and the blocks in 
motion, as seen by the traveler, resemble little white pigs 
running down an inclined plane. As we look at the great 
ice-houses to-day, which, like uncouth barns, stand here 
and there along the Hudson, it does not seem possible 
that only a few years ago ice was decidedly unpopular, 
and wheeled about New York in a hand-cart. Think of 
one hand-cart supplying New York with ice! It was 
considered unhealthy, and called forth many learned dis- 
cussions. 

Returning to the east bank, we see above Tarrytown 
many superb residences, notably '* Rockwood," the home- 
of William Rockefeller, of the Standard Oil Company. 
The estate of General James Watson Webb is also near at 
hand. Passing Scarborough Landing, with the Hook 
Mountain and Ball Mountains on the left, we see 

Ossining, formerly known as Sing Sing, on east bank. 
The low buildings, near the river bank, are the State's 
Prison. They are constructed of marble, but are not 
considered palatial by the prisoners that occupy the cells. 
It was quarried near by, and the prisons were built by" 
convicts imported from Auburn in 1826. Saddlery, fur-^ 
niture, shoes, etc., are manufactured within its walls. 
There was an Indian chieftancy here known as the Sint- 
sinks. In a deed to Philip Phillipse in 1685 a stream is 
referred to as " Kitchewan called by the Indians Sink- 
Sink." The Indian Village was known as Ossining, from 
" ossin " a stone and " ing " a place, probably so called 
from the rocky and stony character of the river banks. 

How many, at this hour, along thy course, 73' 

Slumber to thine eternal murmurings 

That mingle with the utterance of their dreams. 

William Cullen Bryani. 



Cfte 



The heights above Tappan Zee at this point are crowned 
by fine residences, and the village is one of the pleasant- 
est on the river. The drives among the hills are delightful 
and present a wide and charming outlook. Here also are 
several flourishing military boarding schools and a sem- 
inary for girls. The old silver and copper mines once 
worked here never yielded satisfactory returns for invested 
capital. Various industries give active life and prosperity 
to the town. Just above Sing Sing 

Croton River, known by the Indians as Kitchawonk, 
joins the Hudson in a bay crossed by the Neiv York Ceri- 
tral Railroad Croton draw-bridge. East of this point is 
a water shed having an area of 350 square miles, which 
supplies New York with water. The Croton Reservoir 
is easily reached by a pleasant carriage drive from Sing 
Sing, and it is a singular fact that the pitcher and ice- 
cooler of New York, or in other words, Croton Dam and 
Rockland Lake, should be almost opposite. About fifty 
years ago the Croton first made its appearance in New 
York, brought in by an aqueduct of solid masonry which 
follows the course of the Hudson near the Old Post Road, 
or at an average distance of about a mile from the east 
bank. Here and there its course can be traced by " white 
stone ventilating towers " from Sing Sing to High Bridge, 
which conveys the aqueduct across the Harlem River. 
Its capacity is 100,000,000 gallons per day, which however 
began to be inadequate for the city and a new aqueduct 
was therefore begun in 1884 and completed in 1890, 
capable of carrying three times that amount, at a cost 
of $25,000,000. The water-shed is well supplied with 
streams and lakes. Lake Mahopac, one of its fountains, 
is one of the most beautiful sheets of water near the 
metropolis, and easily accessible by a pleasant drive from 
Peekskill, or by the Harlem Railroad from New York.: 
The old Indian name was Ma-cook-pake, signifying a' 
large inland lake, or perhaps an island near the shore. 
The same derivation is also seen in Copake Lake, Colum- 



74 



Round the aqueducts of story 

As the mists of Lethe throng 
Croton's waves in all their glory 

Troop in melody along. 

George P. Morris. 



bia County. On an island of Mahopac the last great ^hf 
*^ convention " of the southern tribes of the Hudson 
was held. The lake is about 800 feet above tide, and IPU 00011 
it is pleasant to know that the bright waters of Mahopac TOfy^^i* 
and the clear streams of Putnam and Westchester are 
conveyed to New York even as the poetic waters of Loch 
Katrine to the city of Glasgow. The Catskill water 
supply, the ground of which was broken in 1907, is re- 
ferred to in our description of Cold Spring and the 
-Catskills. 

Just above Croton Bay and the New York Central Rail- 
road draw-bridge will be seen the old Van Cortlandt 
Manor, where Frederick Phillipse and Katrina Van Cort- 
landt were married, as seen by the inscription on the old 
Dutch Church of Sleepy Hollow. 

Teller's Point (sometimes known as Croton or Under- 
hilFs Point), separates Tappan Zee from Haverstraw 
Bay. It was called by the Indians " Senasqua." Tradi- 
tion says that ancient warriors still haunt the surround- 
ing glens and woods, and the sachems of Teller's Point 
are household words in the neighborhood. It is also said 
that there was once a great Indian battle here, and 
perhaps the ghosts of the old warriors are attracted by 
the Underbill grapery and the 10,000 gallons of wine 
bottled every season. 

It was here the British warship " The Vulture," came 
with Andre and put him ashore at the foot of Mount Tor 
below Haverstraw. 

The river now opens into a beautiful bay, four miles 
in width, — a bed large enough to tuck up fifteen River 
Rhines side by side. This reach sometimes seems in the 
bright sunlight like a molten bay of silver, and the 
tourist finds relief in adjusting his smoked glasses to 
temper the dazzling light. 

Haverstraw, 37 miles from New York. Haverstraw 
Bay is sometimes said to be five miles wide. Its widest 
point, however, from Croton Landing to Haverstraw, is, 

Beneath these gold and azure skies 75 

The river winds through leafy glades, 
Save where, like battlements, arise 

The gray and tufted Palisades. 

Henry T. Tuckerman. 



Cfte 
Ii)uD0on 



according to United States Geological Survey, a little over 
four miles. The principal industry of Haverstraw is 
brick-making, and its brick yards reaching north to Grassy 
Point, are of materal profit, if not picturesque. The 
place was called Haverstraw by the Dutch, perhaps as a 
place of rye straw, to distinguish it from Tarrytown, a 
place of wheat. The Indian name has been lost; but, 
if its original derivation is uncertain, it at least calls 
up the rhyme oi old-time river captains, which Captain 
Anderson of the " Maiy Powell " told the writer he used 
to hear frequently when a boy: 

" West Point and Middletown, 
Konnosook and Doodletown, 
Kakiak and Z^Iamapaw, 
Stony Point and Haverstraw." 

Quaint as these names now sound, they all are found 
on old maps of the Hudson. 

High Torn is the name of the northern point of the- 
Ramapo on the west bank, south of Haverstraw. Ac- 
cording to the Coast Survey, it is 820 feet above tide- 
water, and the view from the summit is grand and ex- 
tensive. The origin of the name is not clear, but it has 
lately occurred to the writer, from a re-reading of Scott's; 
" Peveril of the Peak," that it might have been named 
from the Torn, a mountain in Derbyshire, either from 
its appearance, or by some patriotic settler from the 
central water-shed of England. Others say it is the- 
Devonshire word Tor changed to Torn, evidently derived 
from, the same source. 

West Shore Railroad. — The tourist will see at this 
point, on the left bank of the river, the tunnel whereby 
the " West Shore " finds egress from the mountains. The- 
traveler over this railway, on emerging from the quiet, 
valley west of the Palisades, comes upon a sudden vision 
of beauty unrivaled in any land. The broad river seems: 
like a great inland lake; and the height of the tunnel 



76 



Emerging from these confused piles, the river as if 
rejoicing at its release from its struggle, expanded into 
a wide bay, which was ornamented by a few fertile and 
low points that jutted humbly into its broad basin. 
James Fenimore Cooper. 



above the silver bay gives to the panoramic landscape a ffru^ 
wondrous charm. About a mile from the river, southwest ^"^ 
of Grassy Point, on the farther side of the winding Min- JhuDSOtt 
nissickuongo Creek, which finally after long meandering , 
makes up its mind to glide into Stony Point Bay, will be KlwCt 
seen Treason Hill marked by the Joshua Hett Smith stone 
house where Arnold and Andre met. The story of this 
meeting will be referred to at greater length in connec- 
tion with its most dramatic incident at the old Beverley 
House in the Highlands. The Hudson here is about two 
miles in width and narrows rapidly as we pass Grassy 
Point on the west bank with its meadows and brick 
yards to 

Stony Point, where it is scarcely more than half a mile 
to Verplank's Point on the eastern bank. This was, 
therefore, an important pass during the Revolution. The 
crossing near at hand was known as King's Ferry, at 
and before the days of '76, and was quite an avenue of 
travel between the Southern, Middle and Eastern States. 
The fort crowoiing a commanding headland, was captured 
by the British, June 1, 1779, but it was surprised and 
recaptured by Anthony Wayne, July 15 of the same year. 
A centennial was observed at the place July 15, 1879, 
when the battle was " refought " and the West Point 
Cadets showed how they would have done it if they had 
been on hand a century ago. Thackeray, in his " Vir- 
ginians," gives perhaps the most graphic account of this 
midnight battle. The present light-house occupies the 
site of the old fort, and was built in part of stone taken 
from its walls. Upon its capture by the British, Wash- 
ington, whose headquarters were at New Windsor, medi- 
tated a bold stroke and summoned Anthony Wajme, more 
generally knov^oi as " Mad Anthony," from his reckless 
daring, to undertake its recapture with a force of one 
thousand picked men. The lines were formed in two 
columns about 8 p. m. at " Springsteel's farm." Each 
soldier and officer put a piece of white paper in his hat 



The star spangled banner, the flag of the brave, 
And the cross of old England in amity wave, 
But if ever the nations do battle again 
God send us such soldiers as Anthony Wayne, 

Minna Irving. 



Cfte 



IRitjet 



to distinguish him from the foe. No guns were to be 
loaded under penalty of death. General Wayne, at the 
IpUUSOn head of the column, forded the marsh covered at the time 
with two feet of water. The other column led by Butler 
and Murfree crossed an apology for a bridge. During 
the advance both columns were discovered by the British 
sentinels and the rocky defense literally blazed with 
musketry. In stern silence, however, without faltering, 
the American columns moved forward, entered the abatis, 
until the advance guard under Anthony Wayne was within 
the enemy's works. A bullet at this moment struck Wayne 
in the forehead grazing his skull. Quickly recovering 
from the shock, he rose to his knees, shouted : " Forward, 
my brave fellows"; then turning to two of his followers, 
he asked them to help him into the fort that he might 
die, if it were to be so, " in possession of the spot." Both 
columns were now at hand and inspired by the brave 
general, came pouring in, crying " The fort's our own." 
The British troops completely overwhelmed, were fain to 
surrender and called for mercy. Wayne's characteristic 
message to Washington antedates modern telegraphic 
brevity: — "Stony Point, 2 o'clock a. m. The American 
flag waves here. — Mad Anthony." There were twenty 
killed and sixty wounded on each side. Some five hun- 
dred of the enemy were captured and about sixty escaped. 
" Money rewards and medals were given to Wayne and 
the leaders in the assault. The ordinance and stores cap- 
tured were appraised at over $180,000 and there was 
universal rejoicing " throughout the land. " Stony Point 
State Park " was dedicated by appropriate ceremony July 
16, 1902. At the close of Governor Odell's address the 
flag was raised by William Wayne, a lineal descendant 
of the hero, and the cruiser " Olympia " of Manila fame 
boomed forth her tribute. Verplank's Point, on the 
east bank (now full of brick-making establishments) , was 
the site of Fort Lafayette. It was here that Baron Steu- 
ben drilled the soldiers of the American army. Back 



78 



The echoes that so boldly rung 

When cannon flashed from steep to steep, 
And freedom's airy challenge flung, 

In each romantic valley sleep. 

H^Hry T. Tackerman. 



I 






from Green Cove above Verplanck's Point is " Knicker- STftC 
bocker Lake." rrMt Hffnn 

Tompkin's Cove. — North of Stony Point we see great *i^WUSUll 
quarries of limestone, the principal industry of the village JRl^J^t 
of Tompkin's Cove. Gravel is also shipped from this 
place for Central Park roads and driveways in New York 
City. The tourist, looking north from the forward deck 
of the steamer, sees no opening in the mountains, and it 
is amusing to hear the various conjectures of the pas- 
sengers; as usual, the "unexpected" happens. The 
steamer turns to the left and sv>^eeps at once into the 
grand scenery of the Highlands. The straight forward 
course, which seems the more natural, would land the 
steamer against the Hudson River Railroad, crossing the 
Peekskill River. It is said that an old skipper, Jans 
Peek, ran up this stream, years before the railroad was 
built, and did not know that he had left the Hudson, 
or rather that the Hudson was "left " until he ran aground 
in the shoal water of the bay. The next morning he 
discovered that it was a goodly land, and the place bears 
his name unto this day. ■ 

Peekskill, 40 miles from New York, is a pleasant city 
on the quiet bay which deeply indents the eastern bank. 
The property in this vicinity was known as Rycks Patent 
in 1665. In Revolutionary times Fort Independence stood 
on the point above, where its ruins are still seen. The 
Franciscan Convent Academy of " Our Lady of Angels," 
guards the point below. In 1797 Peekskill was the head- 
quarters of old Israel Putnam, who rivaled " Mad An- 
thony " in brevity as well as courage. It will be remem- 
ibered that Palmer was here captured as a spy. A British 
Dfficer wrote a letter asking his reprieve, to which Put- 
nam replied, " Nathan Palmer was taken as a spy, tried 
as a spy and will be hanged as a spy. P. S. — He is 
ranged." This was the birthplace of Paulding, one of 
jAndre's captors, and he died here in 1818. He is buried 
j I |n the old rural cemetery about two miles and a half 

The Highlands and the Palisades 'jg 

Mirror their beauty in the tide, 
The history of whose forest shades 

A nation reads with conscious pride. 

Wallace Brace. 



^jh£ from the villag*e, and a monument has been erected to 

his memory. Near at hand is the " Wayside Inn," where 
l^UDlSOn Andre once "tarried," also the Hillside Cemetery, where 
dltaCt °^ June 19, 1898, the 123d anniversary of the battle of 
Bunker Hill, a monument was unveiled to General Pom- 
eroy by the Society of the Sons of Revolution, New York. 
The church which Washington attended is in good preser- 
vation. 

Near Peekskill is the old Van Cortlandt house, the resi- 
dence of Washington for a short time during the Revolu- 
ton. East of the village was the summer home of the 
great pulpit orator, Henry Ward Beecher, Peekskill was 
known by the Indians as Sackhoes in the territory of the 
Kitchawongo, which extended from Croton River to An- 
thony's Nose. 

Turning Caldwell's Landing or Jones' Point, formerly 
known as Kidd's Point, almost at right angles, the steamer 
enters the southern gate of the Highlands. At the water 
edge will be seen some upright planks or caissons marking 
the spot where Kidd's ship was supposed to have been 
scuttled. As his history seems to be intimately associated 
with the Hudson, we will give it in brief: 

The Story of Captain Kidd. — " My name was Captain 
Kidd as I sailed," are famous lines of an old ballad 
which was once familiar to our grandfathers. The hap- 
less hero of the same was born about the middle of the 
seventeenth century, and it is thought, near Greenock, 
Scotland. He resided at one time in New York, near 
the corner of William and Cedar Streets, and was there 
married. In April, 1696, he sailed from England in com- 
mand of the "Adventure Galley," with full armament and 
eighty men. He captured a French ship, and, on arrival 
at New York, put up articles for volunteers; remained 
in New York three or four months, increasing his crew 
to one hundred and fifty-five men, and sailed thence to 
Madras, thence to Bonavista and St. Jago, Madagascar, 
then to Calicut, then to Madagascar again, then sailed 

■"80 Beauty and majesty on either hand 

Have shared thy waters with their common realm. 

Knickerbocker Magatine. 



RiDet 



and took the " Quedah Merchant," Kidd kept forty shares gTfl^ 
of the spoils, and divided the rest with his crew. He 
then burned the "Adventure Galley," went on board the l^UD0On 
"Quedah Merchant," and steered for the West Indies. 
Here he left the " Merchant," with part of his crew, 
under one Bolton, as commander. Then manned a sloop, 
and taking part of his spoils, went to Boston via Long 
Island Sound, and is said to have set goods on shore 
at different places. In the meantime, in August, 1698, 
the East Indian Company informed the Lords Justice 
that Kidd had committed several acts of piracy, par- 
ticularly in seizing a Moor's ship called the " Quedah 
Merchant." When Kidd landed at Boston he was there- 
fore arrested by the Earl of Bellamont, and sent to Eng- 
land for trial, 1699, where he was found guilty and 
executed. Now it is supposed that the crew of the 
" Quedah Merchant," which Kidd left at Hispaniola, 
sailed for their homes, as the crew was mostly gathered 
from the Highlands and above. It is said that they 
passed New York in the night, en route to the manor 
of Livingston; but encountering a gale in the Highlands, 
and thinking they were pursued, ran her near the shore, 
now known as Kidd's Point, and here scuttled her, the 
crew fleeing to the woods with such treasure as they could 
carry. Whether this circumstance was true or not, it 
was at least a current story in the neighborhood, and 
an enterprising individual, about fifty years ago, cmised 
an old cannon to be " discovered " in the river, and perpe- 
trated the first "Cardiff Giant Hoax." A New York 
Stock Company was organized to prosecute the work. It 
was said that the ship could be seen in clear days, with 
her masts still standing, many fathoms below the surface. 
One thing is certain — the company did not see it or the 
treasnrer either, in whose hands were deposited about 
$30,000. 
On the west shore rise the rock-beaten crags of — 
The Dunderberg, the dread of the Dutch mariners. 



Their summits are the first to meet 

The morning's golden ray. 
And last to catch the crimson fires 

That warm the dying day. 

Minna Irving. 



8! 



^h£ '^^^^ ^^^^' ^<^co^d^"P^ to Irvinp:, was peopled with a multi- 

tude of imps, too great for man to number, who wore 
|^UU0On sugar-loaf hats and short doublets, and had a picturesque 
t^i\\cr ^^^ ^^ "tumbling head over heels in the rack and mist." 
^* They were especially malignant toward all captains who 

failed to do them reverence, and brought down frightful 
squalls on such craft as failed to drop the peaks of their 
mainsails to the goblin who presided over this shadowy 
republic. It was the dread of the early navigators — in 
fact, the Olympus of Dutch mythology. Verditege Hook, 
the Dunderberg, and the Overslaugh, were names of 
terror to even the bravest skipper. The old burghers of 
New York never thought of making their week's voyage 
to Albany without arranging their wills, and it created 
as much commotion in New Amsterdam as a modern 
expedition to the north pole. Dunderberg, in most of 
the Hudson Guides and Maps, is put down as 1,098 feet, 
but its actual altitude by the latest United States Geolog- 
ical Survey is 865 feet. 

The State National Guard Encampment crowns a bluff, 
formerly known as Roa Hook, on the east bank, north 
of Peekskill Bay, a happy location in the midst of history 
and beauty. Every regiment in the State rallies here 
in turn during the summer months for instruction in 
the military art, living in tents and enjoying life in true 
army style. Visitors are cordially greeted at proper hours, 
and the camp is easily reached by ferry from Peekskill. 
A ferry also runs from Peekskill to Dunderberg, afford- 
ing a hillside outing and a delightful view. It is expected 
that a spiral railroad, fourteen miles in length, under- 
taken by a recently organized corporation, but abandoned 
for the present, will make the spot a great Hudson River 
resort. The plan also embraces a palatial hotel on the ] 
summit and pleasure grounds upon the point at its base. 
Passing Manito Mountain on our right the steamer ap- 
proaches 

Anthony's Nose, a prominent feature of the Hudson. 

82 The waters were hemmed in by abrupt and dark 

mountains, but the channel was still broad and smooth 
enough for all the steamboats in the Republic to ride 
in safety. 

Harriet Martineau. 



strangely enough the altitude of the mountains at the 
southern portal of the Highlands has been greatly over- 
rated. The formerly accepted height of Anthony's Nose 
has been reduced by the Geological Survey from 1,228 
feet to 900. It has, however, an illustrious christening, 
and according to various historians several godfathers. 
One says it v^as named after St. Anthony the Great, 
the first institutor of monastic life, born A. D. 251, at 
Coma, in Heraclea, a town in Upper Egypt. Irving's 
humorous account is, however, quite as probable that it 
was derived from the nose of Antony Van Corlear, the 
illustrious trumpeter of Peter Stuyvesant. " Now thus 
it happened that bright and early in the morning the 
good Antony, having washed his burly visage, was lean- 
ing over the quarter-railing of the galley, contemplating 
it in the glassy waves below. Just at this moment the 
illustrious sun, breaking in all his splendor from behind 
a high bluff of the Highlands, did dart one of his most 
potent beams full upon the refulgent nose of the sounder 
of brass, the reflection of which shot straightway down 
hissing hot into the water, and killed a mighty sturgeon 
that was sporting beside the vessel. When this aston- 
ishing miracle was made known to the Governor, and he 
tasted of the unknov^m fish, he marveled exceedingly; and, 
as a monument thereof, he gave the name of Anthony's 
Nose to a stout promontory in the neighborhood, and it 
has continued to be called Anthony's Nose ever since." It 
was called by the Indians " Kittatenny," a Delaware term, 
signifying " endless hills." The stream flowing into the 
river south of Anthony's Nose is known as the Brocken 
Kill, broken into beautiful cascades from mountain source 
to mouth. 

lona Island, formerly a pleasure resort and picnic 
ground. An old-time joke of the Hudson was frequently 
perpetrated on strangers while passing the island. Some 
one would innocently observe, " I own a island on the 
Hudson." When any one obligingly asked, " Where? " the 



The beautiful and in some places highly singulai* 
banks of the Hudson rendered a voyage both amusing 
and interesting, while the primitive manners of the in- 
habitants diverted the gay and idle and pleased the 
thoughtful and speculative. 

Mrs. Grant of Laggan. 



83 



^uD0on 



reply would be with pointed finger, " Why there." But 
the United States Government owns it now against all 
comers, and its quiet lanes and picnic abandon have 
been exchanged for busy machine shops and military dis- 
cipline. It is near the west bank, opposite Anthony's Nose. 
A short distance from the island, on the main land, was 
the village or cross-roads of Doodletown. This reach of 
the river was formerly known as The Horse Race, from, 
the rapid flow of the tide when at its height. The hill?, 
on the west bank now recede from the river, forming a 
picturesque amphitheatre, bounded on the west by Bear 
Mountain. An old road directly in the rear of lona 
Island, better known to Anthony Wayne than to the 
modern tourist, passes through Doodletown, over Dun- 
derberg, just west of Tompkin's Cove, to Haverstraw. 
Here amid these pleasant foothills Morse laid the scene 
of a historical romance, which he however happily aban- 
doned for a wider invention. The world can get along 
without the novel, but it would be a trifle slow without 
the telegraph. On the west bank, directly opposite the 
railroad tunnel which puts a merry " ring " into the tip 
of Anthony's Nose, is what is now known as Highland 
Lake, called by the Indians " Sinnipink," and by the 
immediate descendants of our Revolutionary fathers " Hes- 
sian Lake " or " Bloody Pond," from the fact that an 
American company were mercilessly slaughtered here by 
the Hessians, and, after the surrender of Fort Mont- 
gomery, their bodies were thrown into the lake. 

The capture of Fort Clinton and Fort Montgomery was 
two years before Mad Anthony's successful assault on 
Stony Point. Early in the history of the Revolution, the 
British Government thought that it would be possible 
to cut off the eastern from the middle and southern Col- 
onies by capturing and garrisoning commanding points 
along the Hudson and Lake Champlain. It was therefore 
decided in London, in the spring of 1777, to have Sir 
Henry Clinton approach from the south and Burgoyne 



84 



Behold again the wildwood shade, 
The mountain steep, the checkered glade, 
And hoary rocks and bubbling rills. 
And pointed waves and distant hills. 

Robert C. Sands. 



from the north. Reinforcements, however, arrived late JTftC 
from England and it was September before Clinton trans- ^^ ritfritt 
ported his troops, about 4,000 in number, in warships JPUUSUII 
and flat-boats up the river. Governor George Clinton was Jp^j^^J 
in charge of Fort Montgomery, and his brother James 
of Fort Clinton, while General Putnam, with about 2,000 
men, had his headquarters at Peekskill. In addition to 
these forts, a chain was stretched across the Hudson from 
Anthony's Nose to a point near the present railroad 
bridge, to obstruct the British fleet. General Putnam, 
however, became convinced that Sir Henry Clinton pro- 
posed to attack Fort Independence. Most of the troops 
were accordingly withdrawn from Forts Montgomery and 
Clinton, when Sir Henry Clinton, taking advantage of 
a morning fog, crossed with 2,000 men at King's Ferry. 
Guided by a sympathizer of the British cause, who knew 
the district, he crossed the Dunderberg Mountain by 
the road just indicated. One division of 900 moving on 
Fort Montgomery, and another of 1,100 on Fort Clinton. 
Governor Clinton in the meantime ordered 400 soldiers 
to Fort Montgomery, and his reconnoitering party, met by 
the Hessians, fell back upon the fort, fighting as it 
retreated. Governor Clinton sent to General Putnam for 
reinforcements, but it is said that the messenger deserted, 
so that Putnam literally sat waiting in camp, uncon- 
scious of the enemy's movements. A simultaneous attack 
was made at 5 o'clock in the afternoon on both forts. 
Lossing says : '' The garrisons were composed mostly of 
untrained militia. They behaved nobly, and kept up the 
defense vigorously, against a greatly superior force of 
disciplined and veteran soldiers, until twilight, when they 
were overpowered, and sought safety in a scattered retreat 
to the neighboring mountains. Many escaped, but a con- 
siderable number were slain or made prisoners. The 
Governor fled across the river in a boat, and at midnight 
was with General Putnam at Continental Village, con- 
certing measures for stopping the invasion. James, forc- 

I love thy tempests when the broad-winged blast o^ 

Rouses thy billows with his battle call, '^ 

When gathering clouds, in phalanx black and vast 
Like armed shadows gird thy rocky wall. 

Knickerbocker Magazine. 



Cfte 
©uD0on 



ing his way to the rear, across the highway bridge, 
received a bayonet wound in the thigh, but safely reached 
his home at New Windsor. A sloop of ten guns, the 
frigate " Montgomery " — twenty-four guns — and two row- 
galleys, stationed near the boom and chain for their pro- 
tection, slipped their cables and attempted to escape, but 
there was no wind to fill their sails, and they were 
burned by the Americans to prevent their falling into 
the hands of the enemy. The frigate " Congress," twenty- 
eight guns, which had already gone up the river, shared 
the same fate on the flats near Fort Constitution, which 
was abandoned. By the light of the burning vessels the 
fugitive garrisons made their way over the rugged moun- 
tains, and a large portion of them joined General Clinton 
at New Windsor the next day. They had left many of 
their brave companions behind, who, to the number of 
250, had been slain or taken prisoners. The British, too, 
had parted with many men and brave officers. Among 
the latter was Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell. Early in the 
morning of the 7th of October, the river obstructions 
between Fort Montgomery and Anthony's Nose, which 
cost the Americans $250,000, were destroyed, and a light 
flying squadron, commanded by Sir James Wallace, and 
bearing a large number of land troops under General 
Vaughan, sailed up the river on a marauding expedition, 
with instructions from Sir Henry to scatter desolation in 
their paths. It was hoped that such an expedition would 
draw troops from the Northern army for the protection 
of the country below, and thereby assist Burgoyne." 

Sir Henry Clinton, who had been advised by General 
Burgoyne that he must be relieved by October 12th, sent 
a messenger announcing his victory. Another of the many 
special providences of the American Revolution now occurs. 
The messenger blundered into the American camp, where 
some soldiers sat in British uniform, and found out too 
late that he was among enemies instead of friends. As 
Irving relates the incident in his " Life of Washington " : 



8G 



Columbia ! Columbia ! to glory arise. 

The queen of the earth and the child of the skies. 

Timothy Dwight. 



— ''On the 9th (October) two persons coming from Fort 2Df)C 
Montgomery were arrested by the guard, and brought for 
examination. One was much agitated, and was observed tpUUpOu 
to put something hastily into his mouth and swallow it. 1RtVl£r 
An emetic was administered, and brought up a silver 
bullet. Before he could be prevented he swallowed it 
again. On his refusing a second emetic, the Governor 
threatened to have him hanged and his body opened. 
This threat was effectual and the bullet was again * brought 
to light.' It was oval in form, and hollow, with a screw 
in the centre, and contained a note from Sir Henry 
Clinton to Burgoyne, written on a slip of thin paper, 
and dated October 8th, from Fort Montgomery: 'Nous 
y void (here we are), and nothing between us and Gates. 
I sincerely hope this little success of ours will facilitate 
your operations.' Burgoyne never received it, and on 
October 13th, after the battles of Bennington and Sara- 
toga, surrendered to General Gates. Sir Henry Clinton 
abandoned the forts on hearing of his defeat, and returned 
to New York * a sadder and wiser man.' " 

Beverley House. — Passing Cohn's Hook, pronounced 
Connosook, where Hendrick Hudson anchored on his way 
up the river September 14, 1609, we see before us on the 
right bank a point coming down to the shore marked by 
a boat house. This is Beverley Dock, and directly up 
the river bank about an eighth of a mile stood the old 
Beverley House, where Benedict Arnold had his head- 
quarters when in command of West Point. The old house, 
a good specimen of colonial times, was unfortunately 
burned in 1892, and with it went the most picturesque 
landmark of the most dramatic incident of the Revolu- 
tion. It will be remembered that Arnold returned to the 
Beverley House after his midnight interview with Andre 
at Haverstraw, and immediately upon the capture of 
Andre the following day, that Colonel Jamison sent a 
letter to Arnold, advising him of the fact. It was the 
morning of September 4th. General Washington was on 



Far up the Hudson's silver flood 

I hear the Highlands call 
With whispering of leafy boughs 

And voice of waterfall. 

Minna Irving. 



87 



^fj0 his way to West Point, coming: across the country from 

J. Connecticut. On arrivinj?, however, at the river, just 

ipUUpOn above the present station of Garrison, he became inter- 
IRit)0t ested in examining some defenses, and sent Alexander 

Hamilton forward to the Beverley House, saying that he 
would come later, requesting the family to proceed with 
their breakfast and not to await his arrival. Alexander 
Hamilton and General Lafayette sat gayly chatting with 
Mrs. Arnold and her husband when the letter from Jami- 
son was received. Arnold glanced at the contents, rose 
and excused himself from the table, beckoning to his wife 
to follow him, bade her good-bye, told her he was a 
ruined man and a traitor, kissed his little boy in the 
cradle, rode to Beverley Dock, and ordered his men to 
pull off and go down the river. The " Vulture," an Eng- 
lish man-of-war, was near Teller's Point, and received 
a traitor, whose miserable treachery branded him with 
eternal infamy on both continents. It is said that he lived 
long enough to be hissed in the House of Commons, as 
he once took his seat in the gallery, and he died friend- 
less and despised. It is also said, when Talleyrand 
arrived in Havre on foot from Paris, in the darkest hour 
of the French Revolution, pursued by the bloodhounds 
of the reign of terror, and was about to secure a passage 
to the United States, he asked the landlord of the hotel 
whether any Americans were staying at his house, as he 
was going across the water, and would like a letter to 
a person of influence in the New World. " There is a 
gentleman up-stairs from Britain or America," was the 
response. He pointed the way, and Talleyrand ascended 
the stairs. In a dimly lighted room sat a man of whom 
the great minister of France was to ask a favor. He 
advanced, and poured forth in elegant French and broken 
English, " I am a wanderer, and an exile. I am forced 
to fly to the New World without a friend or home. You 
are an American. Give me, then, I beseech you, a letter 
of yours, so that I may be able to earn my bread." The 

Qo Wayne, Putnam, Knox and Heath are there, 

Steuben, proud Prussia's honored son; 
Brave Lafayette from France the fair, 
And chief of all our Washington. 

Wallace Bruce. 



strange gentleman rose. With a look that Talleyrand ^jh0 

never forgot, he retreated toward the door of the next 

chamber. He spoke as he retreated, and his voice was 131109011 

full of suffering: "I am the only man of the New World IRIVi^r 

who can raise his hand to God and say, ' I have not a 

friend, not one, in America! ' " " Who are you? " he cried 

— "your name?" "My name is Benedict Arnold!" 

Andre's fate on the other hand was widely lamented. 
He was universally beloved by his comrades and possessed 
a rich fund of humor which often bubbled over in verse. 
It is a strange coincidence that his best poetic attempt 
on one of Anthony Wayne's exploits near Fort Lee, 
entitled " The Cow Chase," closed with a graphically pro- 
phetic verse: 

" And now I've closed my epic strain, 
I tremble as I show it, 
Lest this same Warrior-Drover Wayne 
Should ever catch the poet." 

By a singular coincidence he did: General Wayne was 
in command of the Tarrytown and Tappan country where 
Andre was captured and executed. It is also said that 
these lines were published by one of the Tory papers in 
New York the very day of Andre's capture. One of the 
old-time characters on the Hudson, known as Uncle Rich- 
ard, has recently thrown new light on the capture of 
Andre by claiming, with a touch of genuine humor, that 
it was entirely due to the " effects " of cider which had 
been freely " dispensed " that day by a certain Mr. Hor- 
ton, a farmer in the neighborhood. 

It is impossible even in these later years, not to speak 
of twenty-five or fifty years ago, to travel along the 
shores of Haverstraw Bay or among the passes of the 
Highlands, without hearing some old-time stories about 
Arnold and Andre, and it would be strange indeed if a 
little romance had not here and there become blended 
with the real facts. Uncle Richard's account is undoubt- 

89 

In view of all he lost, — his youth, his love, 

And possibilities that wait the brave, 
Inward and outward bound dim visions move 

Like passing sails upon the Hudson's wave. 

Charlotte Fiske Bates. 



Cfte 



ediy the best since the days of Knickerbocker. " Benedict 
Arnold, you know, had command of West Point, and he 
knew that the place was essential to the success of the 
Continental cause. He plotted, as everybody knows, to 
turn it over to the enemy, and in the correspondence 
which he carried on with General Clinton, young Andre, 
Clinton's aid, did all the writing. Things were coming 
to a focus, when a meeting took place between Arnold 
and Clinton's representative, Andre, at the house of 
Joshua Hett Smith, near Haverstraw. Andre came on the 
British ship " Vulture," which he left at Croton Point, 
in Haverstraw Bay. Well," so runs Uncle Richard's 
story, " it took a long time to get matters settled ; they 
' confabbed ' till after daybreak. Then Arnold started 
back to the post which he had plotted to surrender. But 
daylight was no time for Andre to return to the '' Vul- 
ture," so he hung round waiting for night. 

*' During that day, some men who were working for 
James Horton, a farmer on the ridge overlooking the 
river, who gave his men good rations of cider, drank 
a little too much of the hard stuff. They felt good, and 
thought it would be a fine joke to load and fire off an 
old disabled cannon which lay a mile or so away on the 
bank. They hauled it to the point now called Cockroft 
Point, propped it up, and then the spirit of fun — and 
hard cider — prompted them to train the old piece on the 
British ship " Vulture," lying at anchor in the Bay. The 
" Vulture's " people must have overestimated the source 
of the fire, for the ship dropped down the river, and 
Andre had to abandon the idea of returning by that 
means. He crossed the river at King's Ferry, and while 
on his way overland was captured at Tarrytown. 

" Of course, the three brave men who refused to be 
bribed deserve all the glory they ever had; if it were 
not for them, who knows but the revolutionary war would 
have had a different ending. But they never would have 
had a chance to capture Andre if it had not been for 



00 



A slanting ray lingered on the woody crests of the 
precipices that overhung the river, giving greater depth 
to the dark-gray and purple of the rocky sides. 

Washington Irving. 



James Horton's men warming up on hard cide.'. Il-ird STftC 
cider broke the plans of Arnold, it hung Andre, and it *K||>«tfgs|^ 
saved West Point." A boy misguided Grouchy en route *I^W*^*'*^»^ 
to Waterloo. On what small hinges turn the destinies lH{tJ0t 
of nations! 

All the way from Anthony's Nose to Beverley Dock, 
where we have been lingering over the story of Andre, 
we have been literally turning a kaleidoscope of blended 
history and beauty, with scarcely time to note the delight- 
ful homes on the west bank, just above Fort Montgomery. 
Among them J. Pierpont Morgan's and the Pells', John 
Bigelow's and " Benny Havens'," or on the east bank of 
Hamilton Fish, just above Beverley Dock, Samuel Sloan 
and the late William H. Osborn, just north of Sugar Loaf 
Mountain; the mountain being so named as it resembles, 
to one coming up the river, the old-fashioned conical- 
shaped sugar-loaf, which was formerly suspended by a 
string over the centre of the hospitable Dutch tables, and 
swung around to be occasionally nibbled at, which in 
good old Knickerbocker days, was thought to be the best 
and only orthodox way of sweetening tea. 

Buttermilk Falls, so christened by Washington Irving, 
is a pretty little cascade on the west bank. Like sparkling 
wit, it is often dry, and the tourist is exceptionally for- 
tunate who sees it in full-dress costume after a heavy 
shower, when it rushes over the rocks in floods of snow- 
white foam. Highland Falls is the name of a small 
village a short distance west of the river, on the bluff, 
but not seen from the deck of the steamer. 

The large building above the rocky channel is Lady 
Cliff", the Academ-y of Our Lady of Angels, under the 
Franciscan Sisters at Peekskill, opened September, 1900. 
It was originally built for a hotel, and widely known 
as Cranston's Hotel and Landing. As the steamer is 
now approaching the west bank we see above us the 
Cullum Memorial Hall, completed in 1899, a bequest of 
the late George W. Cullum of the class of 1833. The still 

Then, as you nearer draw, each wooded height qj 

Puts off the azure hues by distance given! 
And slowly breaks upon the enamored sight, 
Ravine, crag, field and wood in colors true and bright. 

Theodore S. Fay. 



^fl0 newer structure to the south is the officers' messroom, 

crowning the crest above the landing;. 
I^UD0On West Point, taken all in all, is the most beautiful tourist 

IRtt)£t ^P^'^ °^ ^^^^' Hudson. Excursionists by the Day Boats from 

New York, returning by afternoon steamer, have three 
hours to visit the various places of history and beauty. 
To make an easy mathematical formula or picturesque 
" rule of three " statement, what Quebec is to the St. 
Lawrence, West Point is to the Hudson. If the citadel 
of Quebec is more imposing, the view of the Hudson at 
this place is grander than that of the St. Lawrence, and 
the ruins of Fort Putnam are almost as venerable as the 
Heights of Abraham. The sensation of the visitor is, 
moreover, somewhat the same in both places as to the 
environment of law and authority. To get the daily char- 
acter and quality of West Point one should spend at 
least twenty-four hours within its borders, and a good 
hotel, the only one on the Government grounds, will be 
found central and convenient to everything of interest. 
The parade and drills at sunset hour can best be seen 
in this way. 

The United States Military Academy. — Soon after the 
close of the War of the Revolution, Washington suggested 
West Point as the site of a military academy, and, in 
1793, in his annual message, recommended it to Congress, 
which in 1794 organized a corps of artillerists to be here 
stationed with thirty-two cadets, enlarging the number in 
1798 to fifty-six. In 1808 it was increased to one hundred 
and fifty-six, and in 1812 to two hundred and sixty. 

Up to 1812 only 71 cadets had been graduated. The 
roll of graduates now numbers about 5,000. 

Each Congressman has the appointment of one cadet, 
supplemented by ten appointed by the President of thej 
United States. These cadets are members of the regular] 
army, subject to its regulations for eight years, viz: dur- 
ing four years of study and four years after graduating. 
The candidates are examined in June, each year, and 



90 



Enchanted place, hemmed in by mountain walls, 
By bristling guns and Hudson's restful shore. 

Kenneth Brucu. 



must be physically sound as well as mentally qualified. 
The course is very thorough, especially in higher mathe- 
matics. The cadets go into camp in July and August, 
and this is the pleasantest time to visit the point. 

The plans furnished by the architects of the new build- 
ing will entirely change the appearance of the river front. 
The proposed massive structure crowning the cliff will 
" out-castle " the most massive fortifications of the walled 
cities of Europe. $7,500,000 has been appropriated to the 
work by Congress and the next generation will behold a 
new West Point. 

In the rebuilding of the Post the Cadet Chapel, the 
Riding Hall, the Administration Building and some of 
the Officers' Quarters will be removed. Most of the old 
important buildings, however, will not be disturbed, and 
the Chapel will be placed as it were " intact " on another 
site. The plan leaves untouched the Cadet Barracks, the 
Cadet Mess, the Memorial Hall, the Library and the 
Officers' Mess. The tower of the new Post Headquarters 
will rise high and massive several stories above the other 
structures and present in enduring symbol the republic 
standing four square and firm throughout the ages. 

In the " West Point Souvenir," prepared by W. H. Tripp, 
which every visitor will prize, are many suggestions and 
descriptions of value. From many visits and many sources 
we condense the following brevities: 

The Cadet Barracks was built in 1845-51 of native 
granite. In 1882 the western wing was extended adding 
two divisions. 

The Academy Building is immediately opposite the 
Headquarters, of Massachusetts granite, erected in 1891-95, 
and cost about $500,000. It contains recitation and lecture 
rooms of all departments of instruction. 

The Ordnance Museum contains an interesting and ex- 
tensive exhibit of ancient and modern firearms, also many 
valuable trophies from the Revolutionary, Mexican, Civil 
and Spanish wars. 



Cfte 
Kitiet 



Among the fair and lovely Highlands of the Hudson, 
shut in by deep green heights and ruined forts, hemmed 
in all round with memories of Washington, there could 
be no more appropriate ground for the military school 
of America. 

Charles Dickens. 



93 



arUp The Cadet Chapel, immediately north of the Administra- 

-^ tion Building, was erected in 1834. The chapel contains 

!^UD0On many valuable trophies of the Revolutionary and Mex- 

*^r. ican wars, including three Hessian and two British flags 

ll\lul^l ^^^^ were once the property of Washington. The walls 

have many memorial tablets and a famous " blank " of 

Arnold. Here also are several cannon surrendered at 

Saratoga, October 17, 1777. 

The Administration Building was completed in 1871. 
The Library adjoins the Cadet Chapel on the east, built 
of native granite in 1841, costing about $15,000. In 1900 
the building was entirely reconstructed of fire-proof ma- 
terial by appropriation of $80,000. The exterior walls 
of the original building entered into the remodeled struc- 
ture. The Library founded in 1812, has about 50,000 
volumes. 

The Gymnasium adjoins the Barracks on the west, 
erected of native granite, costing $90,000. 

Memorial Hall, plainly seen from the Hudson, completed 
in 1899, is of Ionic architecture. The building cost 
$268,000, a legacy bequeathed by Gen. George W. Cullum, 
built of Milford granite for army trophies of busts, paint- 
ings and memorials. The bronze statute of Gen. John 
Sedgwick in the northwest angle of the plain was dedi- 
cated in 1868. The fine cenotaph of Italian marble was 
erected in 1885. It stands immediately in front of 
Memorial Hall. 

Kosciusko's Monument was erected in 1828. It stands 
in the northeast angle of Fort Clinton. 

The Chain-Battery walk runs from Kosciusko's Garden 
northward to Light House Point, near which was the 
battery that defended the chain across the river in the 
Revolution. The scene is of great beauty and has beenj 
known for many years by the name of " Flirtation Walk.' 
The Battle Monument, on Trophy Point, is the most 
beautiful on the reservation — a column of victory in 
memory of 2,230 officers and soldiers of the regular armyj 

94 

Where Kosciusko dreamed and proud scenes bring 

To mind the stormy days when Liberty 

Was cradled at West Point — the Highlands' key. 

Kenneth Bruce 



of the United States who were killed or died of wounds 
received in the war of the Rebellion. It is a monolith 
of polished granite surmounted by a figure of Fame. The 
shaft is 46 feet in length, 5 feet in diameter, and said 
to be the largest piece of polished stone in the world. 
The cost of the work was $66,000. The site was dedi- 
cated June 15, 1864. The monument was dedicated in 
1897. The address was by Justice Brewer. 

Trophy Point, on the north side of the plain, overlooking 
the river and commanding a majestic view of the Hudson 
and the city of Newburgh, has been likened by European 
travelers to a view on Lake Geneva. Here are the " swivel 
clevies " and 16 links of the old chain that was stretched 
across the river at this point. The whole chain, 1,700 feet 
long, weighing 186 tons, was forged at the Sterling Iron 
Works, transported to New Windsor and there attached 
to log booms and floated down the river to this point. 

Old Fort Putnam was erected in 1778 by the 5th Massa- 
chusetts Regiment under the direction of Col. Rufus 
Putnam. It was originally constructed of logs and trees 
with stone walls on two sides to defend Fort Clinton on 
the plain below. It was garrisoned by 450 men, and 
had 14 guns mounted. In 1787 it was dismantled, and 
the guns sold as old iron. Its brick arch casements over- 
grown with moss, vines, and shrubbery are crumbling 
away, but are well worth a visit. It is 495 feet above 
the Hudson. A winding picturesque carriage road leads 
up from the plain, and the pedestrian can reach the 
summit in 20 minutes. On clear days the Catskill Moun- 
tains are visible. 

Fort Clinton, in the northeast angle of the plain, was 
built in 1778 under the direction of the Polish soldier, 
Kosciuskp. Sea Coast Battery is located on the north 
waterfront, Seige Battery on the slope of the hill below 
the Battle Monument. Targets for the guns on both 
batteries are on the hillside about a mile distant. Battery 



Cfte 
l|)uD0an 



Bright are the moments link'd with thee, 

Boast of a glory-hallowed land! 
Hope of the valiant and the free. 

Home of our youthful soldier band ! 

Anonymous. 



95 



Cfte 
l^uD0on 



Knox, which overlooks the river, was rebuilt in 1874 on 
the site of an old revolutionary redoubt. 

While Fort Putnam was being built Washington was 
advised that Dubois's regiment was unfit to be ordered on 
duty, there being "not one blanket in the regiment. Very 
few have either a shoe or a shirt, and most of them have 
neither stockings, breeches, or overalls. Several com- 
panies of inlisted artificers are in the same situation, and 
unable to work in the field." 

What privations were here endured to establish our 
priceless liberty! It makes better Americans of us all to 
turn and re-turn the pages of the real Hudson, the most 
pictureque volume of the world's history. 

West Point during the Revolution was the Gibraltar 
of the Hudson and her forts were regarded almost im- 
pregnable. Fort Putnam will be rebuilt as an enduring 
monument to the bravery of American soldiers. 

The best way to study West Point, however, is not in 
voluminous histories or in the condensed pages of a guide 
book, but to visit it and see its real life, to wander amid 
its old associations, and ask, when necessary, intelligent 
questions, which are everywhere courteously answered. 
The view north seen in a summer evening, is one long 
to be remembered. In such an hour the writer's idea of 
the Hudson as an open book with granite pages and 
crystal book-mark is most completely realized as indi- 
cated in the Highland section of his poem, " The Hudson " : 



On either side these mountain glens 
Lie open like a massive book. 

Whose words were graved with iron pens, 
And lead into the eternal rock : 



96 



Which evermore shall here retain 
The annals time cannot erase, 

And while these granite leaves remain 
This crystal ribbon marks the place. 



Under Spring's delicate marshalling every hill of the 
Highlands took its own place, and the soft swells of 
ground stood back the one from the othei in more and 
more tender coloring. 

Susan Warner. 



West Point to Newburgh. 

The steamer passes too near the west bank to give a 
view of the magnificent plateau with parade ground and 
Government buildings, but on rounding the point a picture 
of marvelous beauty breaks at once upon the vision. On 
the left the massive indented ridge of Old Cro' Nest and 
Storm King, and on the right Mount Taurus, or Bull 
Hill, and Break Neck, while still further beyond toward 
the east sweeps the Fishkill range, sentineled by South 
Beacon, 1,625 feet in height, from whose summit midnight 
gleams aroused the countryside for leagues and scores 
of miles during those seven long years when men toiler! 
and prayed for freedom. Close at hand on the right will 
be seen Constitution Island, formerly the home of Miss 
Susan Warner, who died in 1885, author of " Queechy " 
and the "Wide, Wide World." Here the ruins of the 
old fort are seen. The place was once called Martalaer's 
Rock Island. A chain was stretched across the river at 
this point to intercept the passage of boats up the 
Hudson, but proved ineffectual, like the one at Anthony's 
Nose, as the impetus of the boats snapped them both 
like cords. 

Some years ago, when the first delegation of Apache 
Indians was brought to Washington to sign a treaty of 
peace, the Indians were taken for an " outing " up the 
Hudson, by General O. O. Howard and Dr. Herman 
Bendell, Superintendent of Indian Affairs for Arizona. 
It is said that they noted with cold indifference the 
palaces along the river front : " the artistic terraces, the 
well-kept, sloping lawns, the clipped hedges and the ivy- 
grown walls made no impression on them, but when the 
magnificent picture of the Hudson above West Point 
revealed itself, painted by the rays of the sinking sun, 
these wild men stood erect, raised their hands high above 
their heads and uttered a monosyllabic expression of 



The queenly Hudson circling at thy feet 
Lingers to sing a song of joy and love, 

Pouring her heart in rippling wavelets sweet. 

Which sun-kissed glance up to thy throne above. 

Kenneth Bruce. 



97 



Cfte 
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Cfte 
l^uD0on 



delight, which was more expressive than volumes of 
words." 

Sir Robert Temple also rises into rapture over the 
northern gate of the Highlands. **One of the fairest 
spectacles to be seen on the earth's surface; not on 
any other river or strait — not on Ganges or Indus, on 
the Dardanelles or the Bosphorus, on the Danube or the 
Rhine, on the Neva or the Nile— have I ever observed 
so fairy-like a scene as this on the Hudson. The only 
water-view to rival it is that of the Sea of Marmora, 
opposite Constantinople.'' 

Most people who visit our river, naturally desire a 
brilliant sunlit day for their journey, and with reason, 
but there are effects, in fog and rain and driving mist, 
only surpassed amid the Kyles of Bute, in Scotland. The 
traveler is fortunate, who sees the Hudson in many phases, 
and under various atmospheric conditions. A midnight 
view is peculiarly impressive when the mountain spirits 
of Rodman Drake answer to the call of his " Culprit Fay." 



" 'Tis the middle watch of a summer night, 
The earth is dark but the heavens are bright, 
The moon looks down on Old Cro' Nest — 
She mellows the shade on his shaggy breast. 
And seems his huge gray form to throw 
In a silver cone on the wave below." 

It is said that the " Culprit Fay " was written by Drake 
in three days, and grew out of a discussion which took 
place during a stroll through this part of the Highlands 
between Irving, Halleck, Cooper and himself, as to the 
filling of a new country with old-time legends. Drake 
died in 1820. Halleck's lines to his memory are among 
the sweetest in our language. It is said that Halleck, 
on hearing Drake read his poem, " The American Flag," 
sprang to his feet, and in a semi-poetic transport, con- 
cluded the lines with burning words, which Drake after- 
wards appended: 



98 



It floweth deep and strong and wide 

This river of romance 
Along whose banks on moonlight nights 

The Highland fairies dance. 

E. A. L 



" Forever float that standard sheet, 

Where breathes the foe but falls before us, 
With Freedom's soil beneath our feet. 

And Freedom's banner streaming o'er us." 

Just opposite Old Cro' Nest is the village of Cold Spring, 
on the east bank, which receives its name naturally from 
a cold spring in the vicinity; and it is interesting to 
remember that the famous Parrott guns were made at 
this place, and many implements of warfare during our 
civil strife. The foundry was started by Gouverneur 
Kemble in 1828, and brought into wide renown by the 
inventive genius of Major Parrott. Cold Spring has a 
further distinction in having the first ground broken, 
about three miles from the river, for the greatest engineer- 
ing enterprise of the age — " The Water Supply of the 
Catskills," when Mayor McClellan, in June, 1907, began 
the work with his silver shovel. A short distance north 
of the village is 

Undercliff (built by John C. Hamilton, son of Alex- 
ander Hamilton, but more particularly associated with 
the memory of the poet. Col. George P. Morris), lies, in 
fact, under the cliff and shadow of Mount Taurus, and 
has a fine outlook upon the river and surrounding moun- 
tains. Standing on the piazza, we see directly in front 
of us Old Cro' Nest, and it was here that the poet wrote: 

" Where Hudson's wave o'er silvery sands 
Winds through the hills afar, 
Old Cro' Nest like a monarch stands 
Crowned xoith a single star." 

Few writers were better known in their own day than 
the poet of Undercliff, who wrote "My Mother's Bible," 
and "Woodman, Spare that Tree." On one occasion, 
when Mr. Russell was singing it at Boulogne, an old 
gentleman in the audience, moved by the simple and 
touching beauty of the lines, 

" Forgive the foolish tear, 

But let the old oak stand." 



Cl)e 



When freedom from her mountain height 

Unfurled her standard to the air, 
She tore the azure robe of night 

And set the stars of glory there. 

Joseph Rodman Drake. 



99 



^1^. rose and said : " I beg: your pardon, but was the tree 

^V^ really spared? " " It was," answered Mr. Russell, and 

Jhj|Jj0pj| the old p:entleman resumed his seat, amid the plaudits 

..^ , of the whole assembly. Truly 

" Its glory and renown 

Are spread o'er land and sea." 

The first European name given to Storm King was 
Klinkersberg: (so called by Hendrick Hudson, from its 
glistening- and broken rock). It was styled by the Dutch 
" Butter Hill," from its shape, and, with Sugar Loaf on 
the eastern side below the point, helped to set out the 
tea-table for the Dunderberg goblins. It was christened 
by Willis, " Storm King," and may well be regarded the 
El Capitan of the Highlands. Breakneck is opposite, on 
the east side, where St. Anthony's Face was blasted away. 
In this mountain solitude there was a shade of reason 
in giving that solemn countenance of stone the name of 
St. Anthony, as a good representative of monastic life; 
and, by a quiet sarcasm, the full-length nose below was 
probably suggested. 

The mountain opposite Cro' Nest is " Bull Hill," or 
more classically, " Mt. Taurus." It is said that there 
was formerly a wild bull in these mountains, which had 
failed to win the respect and confidence of the inhabitants, 
so the mountaineers organized a hunt and drove him 
over the hill, whose name stands a monument to his exit. 
The point at the foot of " Mount Taurus " is known as 
"Little Stony Point." 

The Highlands now trend off to the northeast, and we 
see North Beacon, or Grand Sachem Mountain, and Old 
Beacon about half a mile to the north. The mountains] 
were relit with beacon-fires in 1883, in honor of the cen- 
tennials of Fishkill and Newburgh, and were plainly seen 
sixty miles distant. 

This section was known by the Indians as " Weque- 
hache," or, " the Hill Country," and the entire range was 

IQQ The Highlands are here moulded in all manner of 

heights and hollows; sometimes reaching up abruptly to 
twelve or fifteen hundred feet, and again stretching 
away in long gorges and gentle declivities. 

Susan Warner. 



called by the Indians "the endless hills," a name not {^jj^ 

inappropriate to this mountain bulwark reaching from y. 

New England to the Carolinas. As pictured in our JPU 00011 

" Long Drama," given at the Newburgh centennial of TPt jVl0r 
the disbanding of the American Army, 

That ridge along our eastern coast, 

From Carolina to the Sound, 
Opposed its front to ]]ritain's host, 

And heroes at each pass were found : i 

A vast primeval palisade, 

With bastions bold and wooded cref't, 
A bulwark strong by nature made 

To guard the valley of the west. 

Along its heights the beacons gleamed, 

It formed the nation's battle-line. 
Firm as the rocks and cliffs where dreamed 

The soldier-seers of Palestine. 

It was also believed by the Indians that, in ancient 
days, " before the Hudson poured its waters from the 
lakes, the Highlands formed one vast prison, within whose 
rocky bosom the omnipotent Manitou confined the re- 
bellious spirits who repined at his control. Here, bound 
in adamantine chains, or jammed in rifted pines, or 
crushed by ponderous rocks, they groaned for many an 
age. At length the conquering Hudson, in its career 
toward the ocean, burst open their prison-house, rolling 
its tide triumphantly through the stupendous ruins." 

Pollopers Island, east of the steamer's route, was once 
regarded as a haunted spot, but its only witches are 
said to be snakes too lively to be enchanted. In old times, 
the " new hands " on the sloops were unceremoniously 
dipped at this place, so as to be proof-christened against 
the goblins of the Highlands. Here also another useless 
" impediment " was put across the Hudson in 1779, a 
chevaux-de-frise with iron-pointed spikes thirty feet long, 
hidden under water, strongly secured by cribs of stone. 
This, however, was not broken and would probably havo 
done effective work if some traitor to the cause had not 



What sights and sounds at which the world has won- 
dered 
Within these wild ravines have had their birth ! 
Young Freedom's cannon from these glens have thun- 
dered 
And sent their startling echoes o'er the earth. 

Charles Fenno Hoffman, 



10 



CJ)C 
^uti0on 



guided the British captains through an unprotected pas- 
sage. The State at one time contemplated the purchase 
of this island on which to erect a statue to Hendrick 
Hudson. For some reason Governor Flower vetoed the 
bill. It is now owned by Mr. Francis Bannerman, an 
energetic business man, who perhaps some day may see 
his way to promote a monument to Hudson on the splendid 
pedestal which nature has already completed. 

Cornwall-on-the-Hudson. — This locality N. P. Willis 
selected as the most picturesque point on the Hudson. 
The village lies in a lovely valley, which Mr. Beach has 
styled in his able description, as " an offshoot of the 
Ramapo, up which the storm-winds of the ocean drive, 
laden with the purest and freshest air." 

Idlewild. — Where Willis spent the last years of his life 
is a charming spot and rich with poetic memories. E. P. 
Roe also chose Cornwall for his home. Lovers of the 
Hudson are indebted to Edward Bok for his realistic 
sketch of an afternoon visit. The " Idlewild " of to-day 
is still green to the memory of the poet. Sirice Willis' 
death the place has passed in turn into various hands, 
until now it belongs to a wealthy New York lawyer, who 
has spent thousands of dollars on the house and grounds. 
The old house still stands, and here and there in the 
grounds remains a suggestion of the time of Willis. The 
famous pine-drive leading to the mansion, along which 
the greatest literary lights of the Knickerbocker period 
passed during its palmy days, still remains intact, the 
dense growth of the trees only making the road the 
more picturesque. The brook, at which Willis often sat, 
still runs on through the grounds as of yore. In the 
house, everything is remodeled and remodernized. The 
room from whose windows Willis was wont to look over 
the Hudson, and where he did most of his charming 
writing, is now a bedchamber, modern in its every appoint- 
ment, and suggesting its age only by the high ceiling and 
curious mantel. Only a few city blocks from " Idlewild " 



02 



The river narrows at their proud behest 
And creeps more darkly as it deeper flows, 

And fitful winds swirl through the long defile 

Where the great Highlands keep their stern repose. 

E. A. Lente. 



is the house where lived E. P. Roe, the author of so 
many popular novels, as numerous, almost, in number 
as the several hundreds of thousands of circulation which 
they secured. There are twenty-three acres to it in all, 
and, save what was occupied by the house, every inch of 
ground was utilized by the novelist in his hobby for fine 
fruits and rare flowers. Now nothing remains of the 
beauty once so characteristic of the place. For four years 
the grounds have missed the care of their creator. Where 
once were the novelist's celebrated strawberry beds, are 
now only grass and weeds. Everything is grown over, only 
a few trees remaining as evidence that the grounds were 
ever known for their cultivated products. A large board 
sign announces the fact that the entire place is for sale. 
Cornwall has been for many years a favorite resort of 
the Hudson Valley and her roofs shelter in the summer 
season many thousand people. The road completed in 
1876, from Cornwall to West Point, gives one a pleasant 
acquaintance with the wooded Highlands. It passes over 
the plateau of Cro' Nest and winds down the Cornwall 
slope of Storm King. The tourist who sees Cro' Nest 
and Storm King only from the river, has but little idea 
of their extent. Cro' Nest plateau is about one thousand 
feet above the parade ground of West Point, and over- 
looks it as a rocky balcony. These mountains, with their 
wonderful lake system, are, in fact, the " Central Park " 
of the Hudson. Within a radius of ten miles are clustered 
over forty lakes, and we very much doubt if one person 
in a thousand ever heard of them. A convenient map 
giving the physical geography of this section would be 
of great service to the mountain visitor. The Cornwall 
pier, built by the New York, Ontario and Western Rail- 
road in 1892 for coal and freight purposes, will be seen 
on our left near the Cornwall dock. This railroad leaves 
the West Shore at this point and forms a pleasant tourist 
route to the beautiful inland villages and resorts of the 
State, 



A solitary gleam struck on the base of the Highland 
peak, and moved gracefully up its side, until reaching 
the summit, it stood for a minute forming a crown of 
glory to the vSombre pile, 

James Fenimore Cooper. 



103 



Cfte 



Newburgh to Poughkeepsie. 

Newburgh, 60 miles from New York. Approaching the 
city of Newburgh, we see a building of rough stone, one 
story high, with steep roof — known as Washington's 
Headquarters. For several years prior to, and during the 
Revolution, this was the home of Jonathan Hasbrouck, 
known far and wide for business integrity and loyalty to 
liberty. This house was built by him, apparently, in 
decades; the oldest part, the northeast corner, in 1750; 
the southeast corner, in 1760, and the remaining half 
in 1770. It fronted west on the king's highway, now 
known as Liberty Street, with a garden and family burial 
plot to the east, lying between the house and the river. 
It was restored as nearly as possible to its original char- 
acter on its purchase by the State in 1849, and it is now 
the treasure-house of many memories, and of valuable 
historic relics. A descriptive catalogue, prepared for the 
trustees, under act of May 11, 1874, by a patient and 
careful historian. Dr. E. M. Ruttenber, will be of service 
to the visitor and can be obtained on the grounds. The 
following facts, condensed from his admirable historical 
sketch, are of practical interest: 

" Washington's Headquarters, or the Hasbrouck house, 
is situated in the southeast part of the city, constructed 
of rough stone, one story high, fifty-six feet front by 
forty-six feet in depth, and located on what was originally 
Lot No. 2, of the German Patent, with title vested in 
Heman Schoneman, a native of the Palatinate of Ger- 
many, who sold, in 1721, to James Alexander, who subse- 
quently sold to Alexander Golden and Burger Meynders, 
by whom it was conveyed to Jonathan Hasbrouck, the 
grandson of Abraham Hasbrouck, one of the Huguenot 
founders of New Paltz. He was a man of marked char- 
acter; of fine physique, being six feet and four inches 
in height; was colonel of the militia of the district, and 



04 



Sacred in this mansion hoary, 

'Neath its roof-tree long ago 
Dwelt the father of our glory, 

He whose name appalled the foe. 

f/lary E. Monell. 



Y 



''^NWl^x- 




% 




m 



.T_!^^ "■mF^* 



Mb -^ 



BATTLE MONUMENT. WEST POINT 



in frequent service in p:uarding the passes of the High- CftC 
lands. His occupation was that of a farmer, a miller, ^ ^ 
and a merchant. He died in 1780. The first town meet- *PU 00011 
ing for the Precinct of Newburgh was held here on the Kfttet 
first Tuesday in April, 1763, when its owner was elected 
supervisor. Public meetings continued to be held here 
for several years. During the early part of the Revolu- 
tion, the committee of safety, of the precinct, assembled 
here; here military companies were organized, and here 
the regiment which Colonel Hasbrouck commanded assem- 
bled, to move hence to the defence of the Highland forts." 

From this brief outline, it will be seen that the build- 
ing is singularly associated with the history of the Old 
as well as of the New World: with the former through 
the original grantee of the land, recalling the wars which 
devastated the Palatinate and sent its inhabitants, fugi- 
tive and penniless, to other parts of Europe and to 
America; through his successor with the Huguenots of 
France, and, through the public meetings which assembled 
here, and especially through its occupation by Washing- 
ton, with the struggle for American independence. 

In the spring of 1782 Washington made this building 
his headquarters, and remained here until August 18, 
1783, on the morning of which day he took his departure 
from Newburgh. At this place he passed through the 
most trying period of the Revolution: the year of in- 
activity on the part of Congress, of distress throughout 
the country, and of complaint and discontent in the army, 
the latter at one time bordering on revolt among the 
officers and soldiers. 

It was at this place, on the 22d day of May, 1782, that 
Colonel Nicola, on behalf of himself and others, pro- 
posed that Washington should become king, for the 
"national advantage," a proposal that was received by 
Washington with " surprise and astonishment," " viewed 
with abhorrence," and " reprehended with severity." The 
temptation which was thus repelled by Washington, had 

With silvered locks and eyes grown dim, 105 

As victory's sun proclaimed the morn, 
He pushed aside the diadem 

With stern rebuke and patriot scorn. 

Wallace Bruce. 



i^uD0on 



its origin with that portion of the officers of the army, 
who, while giving their aid heartily to secure an inde- 
pendent government, nevertheless believed that that gov- 
IRit)0t ernment should be a monarchy. The rejection of the 

proposition by Washington was not the only significant 
result. The rank and file of the army rose up against 
it, and around their camp-fires chanted their purpose in 
Billings' song, "No King but God!" From that hour a 
republic became the only possible form of government for 
the enfranchised Colonies. 

The inattention of Congress to the payment of the 
army, during the succeeding winter, gave rise to an 
equally important episode in the history of the war. On 
the 10th of March, 1783, the first of the famous " New- 
burgh Letters " was issued, in which, by implication at 
least, the army was advised to revolt. The letter was 
followed by an anonymous manuscript notice for a public 
meeting of officers on the succeeding Tuesday. Washing- 
ton was equal to the emergency. He expressed his dis- 
approbation of the whole proceeding, and with great 
wisdom, requested the field officers, with one commissioned 
officer from each company, to meet on the Saturday pre- 
ceding the time appointed by the anonymous notice. He 
attended this meeting and delivered before it one of the 
most touching and effective addresses on record. When 
he closed his remarks, the officers unanimously resolved 
" to reject with disdain " the infamous proposition con- 
tained in the anonymous address. 

The meeting of officers referred to was held at the New 
Building or " Temple " as it was called, in New Windsor, 
but Washington's address was written at his headquarters. 
The " Newburgh Letters," to which it was a reply, were 
written by Major John Armstrong, aid-de-camp to General 
Gates. The anonymously called meeting was not held. 
The motives of its projectors we will not discuss; but 
its probable effect, had it been successful, must be con- 
sidered in connection with Washington's encomium of the 

lOu Freemen pause! this ground is holy, 

Noble spirits suffered here. 



Tardy Justice, marching slowly, 

Tried their faith from year to year. 

Mary E. Monell. 



i 



result of the meeting which he had addressed : " Had 
this day been wanting, the world had never known the 
height to which human greatness is capable of attaining." 
Notice of the cessation of hostilities was proclaimed to 
the army April 19, 1783. It was received with great 
rejoicings by the troops at Newburgh, and under Wash- 
ington's order, was the occasion of an appropriate celebra- 
tion. In the evening, signal beacon lights proclaimed the 
joyous news to the surrounding country. Thirteen cannon 
came pealing up from Fort Putnam, which were followed 
by a feu-de-joie rolling along the lines. The mountain 
sides resounded and echoed like tremendous peals of 
thunder, and the flashing from thousands of fire-arms, in 
the darkness of the evening, was like unto vivid flashes 
of lightning from the clouds. From this time furloughs 
were freely granted to soldiers who wished to return to 
their homes, and when the army was finally disbanded 
those absent were discharged from service without being 
required to return. That portion of the army, which 
remained at Newburgh on guard duty, after the removal 
of the main body to West Point in June, were participants 
here in the closing scenes of the disbandment, when, on 
the morning of November 3, 1783, the proclamation of 
Congress and the farewell orders of Washington were 
read, and the last word of command given." From Mon- 
ell's " Handbook of Washington's Headquarters " we also 
quote a general description of the house and its appear- 
ance when occupied by the commander-in-chief. '* Wash- 
ington's family consisted of himself, his wife, and his 
aid-de-camp. Major Tench Tighlman. The large room, 
which is entered from the piazza on the east, known as 
* the room with seven doors and one window,' was used 
as the dining and sitting-room. The northeast room was 
Washington's bedroom and the one adjoining it on the 
left was occupied by him as a private office. The family 
room was that in the southeast; the kitchen was the 
southwest room; the parlor the northwest room. Between 



Serene and calm in peril's hour, 
An honest man without pretence. 

He stands supreme to teach the power 
And brilliancy of common-sense. 

Wallace Bruce. 



107 



Cfte 
ll)uD0on 



cue 



the latter and the former was the hall and staircase and 
the storeroom, so called for having been used by Colonel 
Hasbrouck and subsequently by his widow as a store. The 
parlor was mainly reserved for Mrs. Washington and her 
guests. A Mrs. Hamilton, whose name frequently appears 
in Washington's account book, was his housekeeper, and 
in the early part of the war made a reputation for her 
zeal in his service, which Thacher makes note of and 
Washington acknowledges in his reference to an exchange 
of salt. There was little room for the accommodation of 
guests, but it is presumed that the chambers were reserved 
for that purpose. Washington's guests, however, were 
mainly connected with the army and had quarters else- 
where. Even Lafayette had rooms at DeGrove's Hotel 
when a visitor at headquarters. 

" The building is now substantially in the condition it 
was during Washington's occupation of it. The same 
massive timbers span* the ceiling; the old fire-place with 
its wide-open chimney is ready for the huge back-logs of 
yore; the seven doors are in their places; the rays of 
the morning sun still stream through the one window; 
no alteration in form has been made in the old piazza — 
the adornments on the walls, if such the ancient hostess 
had, have alone been changed for souvenirs of the heroes 
of the nation's independence. In presence of these sur- 
roundings, it requires but little effort of the imagination 
to restore the departed guests. Forgetting not that this 
was Washington's private residence, rather than a place 
for the transaction of public business, we may, in the 
old sitting-room respread the long oaken table, listen to 
the blessing invoked on the morning meal, hear the crack- 
ing of joints, and the mingled hum of conversation. The 
meal dispensed, Mrs. Washington retires to appear at her 
flower beds or in her parlor to receive her morning calls. 
Colfax, the captain of the life-guard, enters to receive 
the orders of the day — perhaps a horse and guard for 
WashiMgton to visit New Windsor, or a barge for Fish- 



108 



One window looking toward the east; 

Seven doors wide-open every side; 
That room revered proclams at least 

An invitation free and wide. 

Wallace Bruce. 



I 



kill or West Point, is required; or it may be Washington 
remains at home and at his writing desk conducts his 
correspondence, or dictates orders for army movements. 
The old arm-chair, sitting in the corner yonder, is still 
ready for its former occupant. 

" The dinner hour of five o'clock approaches; the guests 
of the day have already arrived. Steuben, the iron drill- 
master and German soldier of fortune, converses with 
Mrs. Washington. He had reduced the simple marksmen 
of Bunker Hill to the discipline of the armies of Europe 
and tested their efficiency in the din of battle. He has 
leisure now, and scarcely knows how to find employment 
for his active mind. He is telling his hostess, in broken 
German-English, of the whale (it proved to be an eel) 
he had caught in the river. Hear his hostess laugh! 
And that is the voice of Lafayette, relating perhaps his 
adventures in escaping from France, or his mishap in 
attempting to attend Mrs. Knox's last party. Wayne, of 
Stony Point; Gates, of Saratoga; Clinton, the Irish- 
blooded Governor of New York, and their compatriots — we 
may place them all at times beside our Pater Patriae 
in this old room, and hear amid the mingled hum his 
voice declare: 'Happy, thrice happy, shall they be pro- 
nounced hereafter, who have contributed anything, who 
have perform.ed the meanest office in erecting this stu- 
pendous fabric of Freedom and Empire on the broad basis 
of independency; who have assisted in protecting the 
rights of human nature, and in establishing an asylum 
for the poor and oppressed of all nations and religions.' 

" In France, some fifty years after the Revolution, 
Marbois reproduced, as an entertainment for Lafayette, 
then an old man, this old sitting-room and its table scene. 
From his elegant saloon he conducted his guests, among 
whom were several Americans, to the room which he had 
prepared. There was a large open fire-place, and plain 
oaken floors; the ceiling was supported with large beams 
and whitewashed; there were the seven small-sized doors 



Cfte 
Q)uD0on 



The goodness which characterizes Washington is felt 
by all around him, but the confidence he inspires is 
never familiar; it springs from a profound esteem for 
his virtues and a great opinion of his talents. 

Marquis de Chastelleaux. 



109 



^uD0on 
Kitiet 



and one window with heavy sash and small panes of glass. 
The furniture was plain and unlike any then in use. 
Down the centre of the room was an oaken table covered 
with dishes of meat and vegetables, decanters and bottles 
of wine, and silver mugs and small wine glasses. The 
whole had something the appearance of a Dutch kitchen. 
While the guests were looking around in surprise at this 
strange procedure, the host, addressing himself to them 
said, * Do you know where we now are? ' Lafayette looked 
around, and, as if awakening from a dream, he ex- 
claimed, * Ah ! the seven doors and one window, and the 
silver camp goblets such as the Marshals of France used 
in my youth. We are at Washington's Headquarters on 
the Hudson fifty years ago.' " 

The Hasbrouck family returned to their old home, made 
historic for all time, after the disbandment of the army 
and remained until it became the property of the State. 
On July 4, 1850, the place was formally dedicated by 
Major-General Winfield Scott, dedicatory address delivered 
by John J. Monell, an ode by Mary E. Monell, and an 
oration by Hon. John W. Edmunds. The centennial of 
the disbanding of the army was observed here October 
18, 1883. After the noonday procession of 10,000 men 
in line, three miles in length, with governors and repre- 
sentative people from almost every State, 150,000 people, 
" ten acres " square, gathered in the historic grounds. 
Senator Bayard, of Delaware, was chairman of the day. 
Hon. William M. Evarts was the orator, and modestly 
speaking in the third person, Wallace Bruce, author of 
this handbook, was the poet. No one there gathered can 
ever forget that afternoon of glorious sunlight or the 
noble pageant. The great mountains, which had so fre- 
quently been the bulwark of liberty and a place of refuge 
for our fathers, were all aglow with beauty, as if, like 
Horeb's bush, they too would open their lips in praise 
and thanksgiving. One ot the closing sentences of Sen- 
ator Evarts' address is unsurpassed in modern or ancient 



110 



From these headquarters Washington promulgated his 
memorable order for the cessation of hostilities and 
recalled the fact that its date, April 18th, was the an- 
niversary of the battles of Lexington and Concord. 
Thomas F. Bayard. 



eloquence: "These rolling years have shown growth, for- ^i^^ 
ever growth, and strength, increasing strength, and wealth ^^^ 
and numbers ever expanding, while intelligence, freedom, ^ttD0On 
art, culture and religion have pervaded and ennobled all 
this material greatness. Wide, however, as is our land ItilTJvt 
and vast our population to-day, these are not the limits 
to the name, the fame, the power of the life and char- 
acter of Washington. If it could be imagined that this 
nation, rent by disastrous feuds, broken in its unity, 
should ever present the miserable spectacle of the un- 
defiled garments of his fame parted among his country- 
men, while for the seamless vesture of his virtue they cast 
lots — if this unutterable shame, if this immeasurable crime, 
should overtake this land and this people, be sure that 
no spot in the wide world is inhospitable to his glory, 
and no people in it but rejoices in the influence of his 
power and his virtue." In his lofty sentences the old 
heroes seemed to pass again in review before us, and the 
daily life of that heroic band, when Congress sat inactive 
and careless of its needs until the camp rose in mutiny, 
happily checked, however, by the great commander in a 
single sentence. It will be remembered that Washington 
began to read his manuscript without glasses, but was 
compelled to stop, and, as he adjusted them to his eyes, 
he said, " You see, gentlemen, that I have not only grown 
gray, but blind, in your service." It is needless to say 
that the " anonymously called " meeting was not held. 

He quelled the half-paid mutineers, 

And bound them closer to the cause ; 
His presence turned their wrath to tears, 

Their muttered threats to loud applause. 

The great Republic had its birth 

That hour beneath the army's wing. 
Whose leader taught by native worth 

The man is grander than the king. 

Near at hand, and also plainly seen from the river, is 
the new Tower of Victory, fifty-three feet high, costing 



We hear the anthem once again, — 

"No king but God!" — to guide our way, 

Like that of old — "Good-will to men" — 
Unto the shrine where freedom lay. 

Wallace Bruce. 



Ill 



Cfte 
l^uD0on 



$67,000. It contains a life-size statue of Washington, 
in the act of sheathing his sword, with bronze figures 
representing the rifle, the artillery, the line officer and 
dragoon service of our country, with a bronze tablet on 
the east wall bearing the inscription : " This monument 
was erected under the authority of the Congress of the 
United States, and of the State of New York, in com- 
memoration of the disbandment, under proclamation of 
the Continental Congress, of October 18, 1783, of the 
armies, by whose patriotic and military virtue, our national 
independence and sovereignty were established." The 
Belvidere, reached by a spiral staircase, is capable of 
holding one hundred persons, and the view therefrom 
takes in a wide extent of panoramic beauty. Newburgh 
has not only reason to be proud of her historical land- 
marks and her beautiful situation, but also of her com- 
mercial prosperity. In olden times, it was a great centre 
for all the western and southwestern district, farmers 
and lumbermen coming from long distances in the in- 
terior. Soon after the Revolution she was made a village, 
when there were only two others in the State. Before 
the days of the Erie canal, this was the shortest route 
to Lake Erie, and was made by stage via Ithaca. With 
increasing facilities of railway communication, she has 
also easily held her own against all commercial rivals. 
The West Shore Railroad, the Erie Railway, the Netv 
York Central and the New York and New Englajid across 
the river, and several Hudson river steamers, make her 
peculiarly central. The city is favored with beautiful 
driveways, amid charming country seats. The New Paltz 
road passes the site where General Wajiie had his head- 
quarters, also, the " Balm of Gilead tree," which gave 
the name of Balmville to the suburban locality. Another 
road affords a glimpse of the " Vale of Avoca," named 
after the well-known glen in Ireland, of which Tom Moore 
so sweetly sung. Here, some say, a treacherous attempt 
was made on the life of Washington, but it is not gen- 



112 



Washington! Brave without temerity; laborious with- 
out ambition; generous without prodigality; noble with- 
out pride; virtuous without severity. 

Marquis de Chastelleux. 




K 5 

. Z 



erally credited by critical historians. As the steamer 
leaves the dock, and we look back upon the factories and 
commercial houses along the water front, crowned by 
noble streets of residence, with adjoining plateau, sweeping 
back in a vast semi-circle as a beautiful framework to 
the wide bay, we do not wonder that Hendrick Hudson 
established a prophetic record by writing " a very pleasant 
place to build a town." 

Fishkill-on-the-Hudson. — Directly opposite Newburgh, 
one mile north of Denning's Point (formerly the eastern 
dock of the Newburgh ferry), rises on a pleasant slope, 
the newer Fishkill of this region. A little more than a 
mile from the landing, is the manufacturing village of 
Matteawan, connected by an electric railroad. Old Fish- 
kill, or Fishkill Village, is about four miles inland, charm- 
ingly located, under the slope of the Fishkill range. This 
was once the largest village in Dutchess county, and was 
chosen for its secure position above the Highlands, as 
the place to which " should be removed the treasury and 
archives of the State, also, as the spot for holding the 
subsequent sessions of the Provincial Conventions," after 
they were driven from New York. A historical sketch 
of the town, by T. Van Wyck Brinkerhoff, presents many 
things of interest. " Its history, anterior to 1682, belongs 
to the red men of the valley, and, more than any other 
spot, this was the home of their priests. Here they per- 
formed their incantations and administered at their 
altars." According to Broadhead, " It would seem that 
the neighboring Indians esteemed the peltries from Fish- 
kill as charmed by the incantations of the aboriginal 
enchanters who lived along its banks, and the beautiful 
scenery in which those ancient priests of the Highlands 
dwelt, is thus invested with new poetic associations." 
Dunlap speaks of them as "occupying the Highlands, called 
by them Kittatenny Mountains. Their principal settle- 
ment, designated Wiccapee, was situated in the vicinity 
of Anthony's Nose. Here too, lived the Wappingers, a 



Cfte 



For here amid these hills he once kept court- 
He who his country's eagle taught to soar 
And fired those stars which shine o'er every shore. 

Charles Fenno Hoffman. 



lis 



^j)0 war-like and brave tribe, extending themselves along the 

Matteawan, along the Wappingers Kill and tributaries, 
IpUUpUll along the Hudson, and to the northward, across the river 
Tt? jvj0f into Ulster County. These and other tribes to the south, 

west and north, were parts of and tributaries to the great 
Iroquois confederation — the marvel for all time to come 
of a system of government so wise and politic, and for 
men so eloquent and daring. The Wappingers took part 
in the Dutch and Indian wars of 1643 and 1663, led on 
by their war chiefs, Wapperonk and Aepjen. A few 
Indian names are still remaining, and a few traces of 
their history still left standing. The name Matteawan is 
Indian, signifying ' Good Beaver Grounds,' and the name 
Wappinger still speaks of those who once owned the soil 
along the Hudson. Their name for the stream was 
Mawanassigh, or Mawenawasigh. Wiccapee and Shenon- 
doah are also Indian names of places in Fishkill Hook, 
and East Fishkill, and Apoquague, still surviving as the 
name of a country postoffice, was the Indian style of 
what is now called Silver Lake, signifying ' round pond.' 
In Fishkill Hook until quite recently, there were traces 
of their burial grounds, and many apple and pear trees 
are still left standing, set there by the hands of the red 
man before the country had been occupied by Europeans." 
To return to Brinkerhoff, " The first purchase of land 
in the county of Dutchess, was made in the town of 
Fishkill. On the 8th day of February, 1682, a license 
v/as given by Thomas Dongan, Commander-in-chief of the 
Province of New York, to Francis Rombout and Gulian 
Ver Planck, to purchase a tract of land from the Indians. 
Under this license, they bought, on the 8th day of August, 
1683, of the Wappinger Indians, all their right, title and 
interest to a certain large tract of land, afterward kno\vn 
as the Rombout precinct. Gulian Ver Planck died before 
the English patent was issued by Governor Dongan; 
Stephanus Van Cortland was then joined in it with 
Rombout, and Jacobus Kipp substituted as the repre- 



I T It was « dainty day, and it grew more dainty towards 

its close as the lights and shadows stretched athwart 
our Highland landscape. 

Susan Warner. 



sentative of the children of Gulian Ver Planck. On the 
17th day of October, 1685, letters patent, under the broad 
seal of the Province of New York, were |?ranted by King 
James the Second, and the parties to whom these letters 
patent were granted, became from that time the undis- 
puted proprietors of the soil. There were 76,000 acres 
of these lands lying in Fishkill, and other towns taken 
from the patent, and 9,000 acres lying in the limits of 
the town of Poughkeepsie. Besides paying the natives, 
as a further consideration for the privilege of their 
license, they were to pay the commander-in-chief, Thomas 
Dongan, six bushels of good and merchantable winter 
wheat every year." In the Book of Patents, at Albany, 
vol. 5, page 72, will be found the deed, of special interest 
to the historian and antiquarian. 

"After the evacuation of New York, in the fall of 1776, 
and the immediate loss of the seaboard, with Long Island 
and part of New Jersey, Fishkill was at once crowded 
with refugees, as they were then called, who sought, by 
banishing themselves from their homes on Long Island 
and New York, to escape imprisonment and find safety 
here. The interior army route to Boston passed through 
this place. Army stores, workshops, ammunition, etc., were 
established and deposited here." The Marquis De Chas- 
tellux, in his travels in North America, says: " This town, 
in which there are not more than fifty houses in the 
space of two miles, has been long the principal depot of 
the American army. It is there they have placed their 
magazines, their hospitals, their workshops, etc., but all of 
these form a town in themselves, composed of handsome 
large barracks, built in the woods at the foot of the moun- 
tains: for the American army, like the Romans in many 
respects, have hardly any other winter quarters than 
wooden towns, or barricaded camps, which may be com- 
pared to the ' hiemalia ' of the Romans." These barracks 
were situated on the level plateau between the residence 
of Mr. Cotheal and the mountains. Portions of these 



Cfte 
fi)uD0on 



Unto him and them all owing 
Peace as stable as our bills, 

Plenty like yon river flowing 
To the sea from thousand rillB. 
Mary E. Monelt. 



115 



Cftr 

DuDson 

Riucr 



grounds were no doubt then covered with timber. Guard- 
ing the approach from the south, stockades and fortifica- 
tions were erected on commanding positions, and regularly 
manned by detachments from the camp. 

" Upon one of these hills, rising out of this mountain 
pass-way, very distinct lines of earthworks are yet ap- 
parent. Near the residence of Mr. Sidney E. Van Wyck, 
by the large black-walnut trees, and east of the road 
near the base of the mountain, was the soldiers' burial 
ground. Many a poor patriot soldier's bones lie moulder- 
ing there; and if we did but know how many, we would 
be startled at the number, for this almost unknown and 
unnoticed burial ground holds not a few, but hundreds 
of those who gave their lives for the cause of American 
independence. Some fifteen years ago, an old lady who 
had lived near the village until after she had grown to 
womanhood, told the writer that after the battle of White 
Plains she went with her father through the streets of 
Fishkill, and in places between the Dutch and Episcopal 
churches, the dead were piled up like cord-wood. Those 
who died from wounds in battle or from sickness in hos- 
pital were buried there. Many of these were State 
militiamen, and it seems no more than just that the State 
should make an appropriation to erect a suitable monu- 
ment over this spot. Rather than thus remain for another 
century, if a rough granite boulder were rolled down from 
the mountain side and inscribed: * To the unknown and 
unnumbered dead of the American Revolution,' that rough 
unhewn §tone would tell to the stranger and the passer- 
by, more to the praise and fame of our native town than 
any of us shall be able to add to it by works of our own; 
for it is doubtful whether any spot in the State has as 
many of the buried dead of the Revolution as this quiet 
burial yard in our old town ! " Here also on June 2, 
1883, was observed " The Fishkill Centennial," and few 
of our centennials have been celebrated amid objects of 
greater revolutionary interest. Near at hand, to quote 



IIG 



No prouder sentinel of glory than the old Beacon 
Mountain whose watch-fire guarded the valley ana spoke 
its rallying message to the Catskills and Berkshires and 
the very foothills of the Green Mountains. 

Wallace Bruce. 



from the official report of the proceedings, is " Denning's 
Point where Washington frequently, while waiting, tied 
his horses under those magnificent ' Washington oaks,' as 
he passed backward and forward from New Windsor and 
Newburgh to Fishkill. Near by is the Verplanck House, 
Baron Steuben's old headquarters. On Spy Hill and Con- 
tinental Hill troops were quartered. At Matteawan 
Sackett lived, and there is the Teller House built by 
Madame Brett, where officers frequently resorted, and 
there Yates dwelt when he presided over the legislative 
body while it held its sessions in Fishkill, that had much 
to do with forming our first State Constitution. Baron 
Steuben was for a while in the old Scofield House at 
Glenham. In Fishkill are those renowned old churches 
where legislative sittings were held, which were also used 
as hospitals for the sick, and one of v/hich is otherwise 
known as being the place where Enoch Crosby, the spy, 
was imprisoned, and from which he escaped. Near at 
hand the Wharton House (Van Wyck House), forever 
associated with him, and made famous by Cooper's * Spy.' 
In the Brinckerhoff House above, Lafayette was danger- 
ously ill with a fever, and there, at Swartwoutville, Wash- 
ington was often a visitor. Whenever Washington was 
at Fishkill he made Colonel Brinckerhoff's his head- 
quarters. He occupied the bedroom back of the parlor, 
which remains the same * excepting a door that opens 
into the hall, which has been cut through.' It is an old- 
fashioned house built of stone, with the date 1738 on 
one of its gables." With the story of Fishkill we close 
the largest page relating to our revolutionary heroes, 
and leave behind us the Old Beacon Mountains which 
forever sentinel and proclaim their glory. 

Low Point, or Carthage, is a small village on the east 
bank, about four miles north of Fishkill. It was called 
by the early inhabitants Low Point, as New Hamburgh, 
two miles north, was called High Point. Opposite Carthage 
is Roseton, once known as Middlehope, and above this we 



Cfte 
rr)uti0on 



The sun-touched mountains in some places were of 
a bright orange, and the shadows between them deep 
neutral tint or blue. And the river apparently had 
stopped running to reflect. 

Susan Warrtir. 



117 



I^uDson 



see the residence of Bancroft Davis and the Armstrong 
Mansion. We now behold on the west bank a large flat 
rocK, covered with cedars, recently marked by a light- 
house, the — 

Duyvel's Dans Kammer. — Here Hendrick Hudson, in 
his voyage up the river, witnessed an Indian pow-wow — 
the first recorded fireworks in a country which has since 
delighted in rockets and pyrotechnic displays. Here, too, 
in later years, tradition relates the sad fate of a wedding 
party. It seems that a Mr. Hans Hansen and a Miss 
Kathrina Van Voorman, with a few friends, were return- 
ing from Albany, and disregarding the old Indian 
prophecy, were all slain: — 

" For none that visit the Indian's den 
Return again to the haunts of men. 
The knife is their doom ! O sad is their lot ! 
Beware, beware of the blood-stained spot ! " 

Some years ago this spot was also searched for the 
buried treasures of Captain Kidd, and we know of one 
river pilot who still dreams semi-yearly of there finding 
countless chests of gold. 

Two miles above, on the east side, w^e pass New Ham- 
burgh, at the mouth of Wappingers Creek. The name 
Wappinger had its origin from Wabun, east, and Acki, 
land. This tribe, a sub-tribe of the Mahicans, held the 
east bank of the river, from Manhattan to Roeliffe Jan- 
sen's Creek, which empties into the Hudson near Living- 
ston, a few miles south of Catskill Station on the Hudson 
River Railroad. Passing Hampton Point we see Marl- 
borough, the head-centre of a large fruit industry, 
delightfully located in the sheltered pass of the Maune- 
kill. On the east bank will be noticed several fine resi- 
dences: "Uplands," "High Cliff," "Cedars," and 
" Netherwood." Milton is now at hand on the west bank, 
with its cosy landing and West Shore Railroad station. 
This pleasant village was one of the loved spots of J. G. 



118 



The tulip tree majestic stir.s 

Far down the water's marge beside, 

And now awake the nearer firs, 

And toss their ample branches wide. 

Henn' T. Tuckerman. 



Holland, and the home of Mary Hallock Foote, until a 
modern *' Hiawatha " took our Hudson " Minnehaha " to 
far away western mountains. 

Springbrook, opposite Milton, a place of historic in- 
terest, near the river bank, was bought by Theophilus 
Anthony before the Revolution. Some of the links of 
the famous chain in the Highlands were forged here in 
1777. When the British ships ascended the river the 
family fled to the woods, all but an old colored servant 
woman who wisely furnished the soldiers a good dinner 
and got thereby their good will to save the house. The 
old Flour Mill, however, was burned which stood on 
the same site as the present Springbrook Mill. Theo- 
philus Anthony's only daughter married Thomas Gill after 
the Revolution, and from that time the property has been 
in the Gill family. Few places in the Hudson Valley have 
such ancient and continuous family history. 

Locust Grove, with square central tower and open out- 
look, residence of the late Prof. S. F. B. Morse, inventor 
of the telegraph, is seen on the west bank; also the " Look- 
out," once known as Mine Hill, now a part of Pough- 
keepsie cemetery, with charming driveway to the wooded 
point where the visitor can see from his carriage one of 
the finest views of the Hudson. The completion of this 
drive is largely due to the enterprise of the late Mr. 
George Corlies, who did much to make Poughkeepsie 
beautiful. The view from this " Lookout " takes in the 
river for ten miles to the south, and reaches on the north 
to the Catskills. In a ramble with Mr. Corlies over Look- 
out Point, he told the writer that it was originally the 
purpose of Matthew Vassar to erect a monument on 
Pollopel's Island to Hendrick Hudson. Mr. Corlies sug- 
gested this point as the most commanding site. Mr. 
Vassar visited it, and concluded to place the monument 
here. He published an article in the Poughkeepsie papers 
to this effect, and, meeting Mr. Corlies one week after- 
wards, said, " Not one person in the city of Poughkeepsie 



Cfte 



And from their leaguering legions thick and vast 
The galling hail-shot in fierce volley falls, 
While quick, from cloud to cloud, darts o'er the levin 
The flash that fires the batteries of heaven ! 

Knickerbocker Magazine. 



19 



Cfte 
f!)uD$on 



has referred to my monument. I have decided to build 
a college for women, where they can learn what is useful, 
practical and sensible." It is interesting to note the 
fountain-idea of the first woman's college in the world, 
as it took form and shape in the mind of its founder. 

We now see Blue Point, on the west bank; and, in 
every direction, enjoy the finest views. The scenery seems 
to stand, in character, between the sublimity of the High- 
lands and the tranquil, dreamy repose of the Tappan Zee. 
It is said that under the shadow of these hills was the 
favorite anchorage of — 




MORNING VIEW AT BLUE POINT. 

The Storm Ship, one of our oldest and most reliable 
legends. The story runs somewhat as follows: Years 
ago, when New York was a village — a mere cluster of 
houses on the point now known as the Battery — when 
the Bowery was the farm of Peter Stuyvesant, and the 
Old Dutch Church on Nassau Street (which also long 
since disappeared), was considered the country — when 
communication with the old world was semi-yearly instead 
of semi-weekly or daily — say two hundred years ago — 
the whole town one evening was put into great commo- 
tion by the fact that a ship was coming up the bay. 



120 



See you beneath yon sky so dark 
Fast gliding along a gloomy bark: — 
By skeleton shapes her sails are furled, 
And the hand that steers is not of this world. 

Legend of the Storm Ship. 



She approached the Battery within hailing distance, and g^Jl0 
then, sailing against both wind and tide, turned aside 
and passed up the Hudson. Week after week and month UU 00011 
after month elapsed, but she never returned; and when- rjfviff 
ever a storm came down on Haverstraw Bay or Tappan 
Zee, it is said that she could be seen careening over the 
waste; and, in the midst of the turmoil, you could hear 
the captain giving orders, in good Loiu Dutch; but when 
the weather was pleasant, her favorite anchorage was 
among the shadows of the picturesque hills, on the eastern 
bank, a few miles above the Highlands. It was thought 
by some to be Hendrick Hudson and his crew of the 
" Half Moon," who, it was well known, had once run 
aground in the upper part of the river, seeking a north- 
west passage to China; and people who live in this 
vicinity still insist that under the calm harvest moon 
and the pleasant nights of September, they see her under 
the bluff of Blue Point, all in deep shadow, save her 
topsails glittering in the moonlight. 

Poughkeepsie, 74 miles from New York, is now at hand, 
Queen City of the Hudson, with name, derived from the 
Indian word Apokeepsing, signifying " safe harbor." Near 
the landing a bold headland juts out int© the river, known 
as Kaal Rock, and no doubt this sheltering rock was 
a safe harbor in days of birch canoes. It has been 
recently claimed that the word signifies " muddy pond," 
which is neither true, appropriate or poetic. Poughkeep- 
sie does not propose to give up her old-time " harbor 
name," particularly as it has been recently discovered 
that the name " Kipsie " was also given by the Indians 
to a " safe harbor " near the Battery on Manhattan Island. 
It is said that there are over forty different ways of 
spelling Poughkeepsie, and every year the postoffice record 
gives a new one. The first house was built in 1702 by a 
Mr. Van Kleeck. The State legislature had a session 
here in 1777 or 1778, when New York was held by the 
British and after Kingston had been burned by Vaughan. 

On the crest of the waves, a something that glides 121 

Before the stiff breeze, and gracefully rides 
On the inflowing tide majestic and free 
A huge and mysterious bird of the sea. 

Irving Bruce. 



Ritiet 



Ten years later, the State convention also met here for 
ratification of the Federal Constitution. The town has 
a beautiful location, and is justly regrarded the finest 
residence city on the river. It is not only midway between 
New York and Albany, but also midway between the 
Hig:hlands and the Catskills, commanding- a view of the 
mountain portals on the south and the mountain over- 
look on the north — the Gibraltar of revolutionary fame 
and the dreamland of Rip Van Winkle. 

The well known poet and litterateur, Joel Benton, who 
divides his residence between New York and Pough- 
keepsie, in a recent article, " The Midway City of the 
Hudson," written for the Ponghkeepsie Sunday Courier, 
says: 

" Poughkeepsie as a towTiship was incorporated in 1788. 
The village bearing the name was formed in 1799 (incor- 
porated as a city in 1854), and soon became the cfenter 
of a large trade running in long lines east and west from 
the river. Dutchess County had at this time but a sparse 
population. There was a post-road from New York to 
Albany; but the building of the Dutchess Turnpike from 
Poughkeepsie to Sharon, Conn., connecting with one from 
that place to Litchfield, which took place in 1808, was 
a capital event in its history. This made a considerable 
strip of western Connecticut tributary to Poughkeepsie's 
trade. 

" Over the turnpike went four-horse Concord stages, 
with berailed top and slanting boot in the rear for trunks 
and other baggage. Each one had the tin horn of the 
driver; and it was difficult to tell upon which the driver 
most prided himself — the power to fill that thrilling instru- 
ment, or his deft handling of the ponderous whip and 
multiplied reins. Travelers to Hartford and Boston went 
over this route; and an east and west through and way 
mail was a part of the burden. A sort of overland 
express and freight line, styled the Market Wagon, ran 
in and out of the town from several directions. One 



1 oo 



The azure heaven is filled with smiles, 

The water lisping at my feet 

From weary thought my heart beguiles. 

Henry Abbey. 



or more of these conveyances started from as far east 
as the Housatonic River, and they frequently crowded 
passengers in amongst their motley wares. 

" Speaking of the stage-driver's horn recalls the fact 
that when the steamboat arrived — which was so solitary 
an institution that for some time it was distinctly called 
* The Steamboat '—the tin horn did duty also for it. 
When it was seen in the distance, either Albanyward or 
in the New York direction, a boy went through the village 
blowing a horn to arouse those who wished to embark 
on it. It is said the expectant passengers had ample 
time, after the horn was sounded, to make their toilets, 
run down to the river (or walk dowTi) and take passage 
on it. 

"In colonial days few were the people here; but they 
were a bright and stirring handful. It seems as if every 
man counted as ten. The De's and the Vans, the Living- 
stons, the Schuylers, the Montgomerys and ever so many 
more of the Hudson River Valley settlers are still making 
their impress upon the country. I suppose it need not 
now be counted strange that the strong mixture of Dutch 
and English settlers, with a few Huguenots, which finally 
made Dutchess county, were not a little divided between 
Tory and Whig inclinations. Around Poughkeepsie, and in 
its allied towns stretching between the Hudson River and 
the Connecticut line, there was much strife. Gov. George 
Clinton in his day ruled in the midst of much tumult 
and turbulence; but he held the reins with vigor, in spite 
of kidnappers or critics. When the British burned 
Kingston he prorogued the legislature to Poughkeepsie, 
which still served as a ' safe harbor.' As the resolution 
progressed the Tory faction was weakened, either by sup- 
pression or surrender. 

" It was in the Poughkeepsie Court House that, by ojie 
vote, after a Homeric battle, the colony of New York 
consented to become a part of the American republic, 
which consent was practically necessary to its existence. 



JDuDSOtt 



And lo ! the Catskills print the distant sky, 

And o'er their airy tops the faint clouds driven, 

So softly blending, that the cheated eye 

Forgets or which is earth or which is heaven. 
Theodore S. Fay. 



123 



€i)t 
l^uDsan 



How large a part two small incidents played here towards 
the result of nationality. That single vote was one, and 
the news by express from Richmond, announcing Vir- 
ginia's previous ratification— and added stimulus to the 
vote — was the other. Poughkeepsie honored in May, 1824, 
the arrival of Lafayette, and dined him, besides exchang- 
ing speeches with him, both at the Forbus House, on 
Market Street, very nearly where the Nelson House now 
stands, and at the Poughkeepsie Hotel. It was one of 
Poughkeepsie's great days when he came. Daniel Webster 
has spoken in her court house; and Henry Clay, in 1844, 
when a presidential candidate, stopped for a reception. 
And it is said that, by a mere accident, she just missed 
contributing a name to the list of presidents of the United 
States. The omitted candidate was Nathaniel P. Tal- 
madge. He could have had the vice-presidential candi- 
dacy, the story goes, in 1840, but would not take it. If 
he had accepted it, he would have gone into history not 
merely as United States senator from New York and 
afterwards Governor of Wisconsin territory, but as presi- 
dent in John Tyler's place. 

" In 1844, the New York State Fair was held here some- 
where east of what is now Hooker Avenue. It was an 
occasion thought important enough then to be pictured 
and reported in the London Illustrated Neivs. Two years 
after the telegraph wires were put up in this city, before 
they had yet reached the city of New York. Considering 
the fact that Prof. S. F. B. Morse, the telegraph inventor, 
had his residence here, this incident was not wholly 
inappropriate. 

" The advent in 1849 of the Hudson River Railroad, 
which was an enterprise in its day of startling courage 
and magnitude, constituted a special epoch in the history 
of Poughkeepsie and the Hudson River towns. Men of 
middle age here well remxember the hostility and ridicule 
the project occasioned when it was first broached. Some 
said no railroad ever could be built on the river's edge; 



124 



Mountain? on mountains in the distance rise, 
I. ike clouds along the far horizon's verge; 
Their misty summits mingling with the skies. 
Till earth and heaven seem blended into one. 

Bayard Taylor 



Cl)0 



Ritjer 



and, if you should build one, the enormous expense in- 
curred would make it forever unprofitable. It seemed 
then the height of Quixotism to lay an expensive track l^UtlSOtl 
where the river offered a free way to all. Property hold- 
ers, whose property was to be greatly benefited, fought 
the railroad company with unusual spirit and persistence. 
But the railroad came, nevertheless, and needs no advo- 
cate or apologist to-day. There is no one now living 
here who would ask its removal, any more than he would 
ask the removal of the Hudson River itself." 

Poughkeepsie has been known for more than half a 
century as the City of Schools. The Parthenon-like struc- 
ture which crowns College Hill was prophetic of a still 
grander and more widely known institution, the first in 
the world devoted to higher culture for women, — 

Vassar College. — This institution, founded by Matthew 
Vassar, and situated two miles east of the city, maintains 
its prestige not only as the first woman's college in point 
of time, but also first in excellence and influence. The 
grounds are beautiful and graced by noble buildings which 
have been erected year by year to meet the continued 
demands of its patrons. The college is not seen from 
the river but is of easy access by trolley from the steam- 
boat landing. 

Eastman College is also one of the fixed and solid 
institutions of Poughkeepsie, located in the very heart 
of the city. It has accomplished good work in preparing 
young men for business, and has made Poughkeepsie a 
familiar word in every household throughout the land. 
It was fortunate for the city that the energetic founder 
of this college selected the central point of the Hudson 
as the place of all others most suited for his enterprise, 
and equally fortunate for the thousand of young men 
who yearly graduate from this institution, as the city is 
charmingly located and set like a picture amid pic- 
turesque scenery. 

Among many successful public institutions of Pough- 



1 went three times up the Hudsoti ;' arid, if t lived in 
New York should be tempred' to Mc^rid it three times a 
week during the summer. ' ', 

Hafriei Mdrtineau. 



125 



^ht keepsie are the Vassar Hospital, the Vassar Old Men's 

J, *<ftYi|* Home, the Old Ladies' Home, the State Hospital and the 
ipUllSun Vassar Institute of Arts and Sciences. 
KiUCt ^^^ opera house is one of the pleasantest in the country 

and received a high comment, still remembered, from 
Joseph Jefferson, for its perfect acoustic quality. The 
armory, the Adriance Memorial Library to the memory 
oi Mr. and Mrs. John P. Adriance, and the historic Clin- 
ton House on Main Street purchased in 1898 by the 
Daughters of the Revolution, also claim the attention 
of the visitor. Several factories are here located, the 
best known being that of Adriance, Piatt & Co., whose 
Buckeye mowers and reapers have been awarded the 
highest honors in Germany, Holland, France, Belgium, 
Sweden, Norway, Italy, Russia, Switzerland, and the 
United States, and are sold in every part of the civilized 
globe. The Phoenix Horseshoe Co., the Knitting-Goods 
Establishment, and various shoe, shirt and silk thread 
factories contribute to the material prosperity of the town. 
The drives about Poughkeepsie are delightful. Perhaps 
the best known in the United States is the Hyde Park 
road, six miles in extent, with many palatial homes and 
charming pictures ol park and river scenery. This is a 
part of the Old Post Road and reminds one by its perfect 
finish of the roadways of England. Returning one can 
take a road to the left leading by and up to 

College Hill, 365 feet in height, commanding a wide 
and extensive prospect. The city lies below us, fully 
embowered as in a wooded park. To the east the vision 
extends to the mountain boundaries of Dutchess County, 
and to the north we have a view of the Catskills mar- 
shalled as we have seen them a thousand times in sunset 
beauty along the horizon. This property, once owned by 
Senator Morgan and his heirs, was happily purchased by 
William Smith of Poughkeepsie, and given to the city 
as a public park. There is great opportunity here to 
make this a thing of beauty and a joy forever, for there 



126 



My heart is on the bills. The shades 

Of night are oa my brow; 
Ye pleasant haunts and quiet glades, 

My soul is with you now ! 

Roberl C. Sands. 



are few views on the Hudson, and none from any hill C^f)C 
of its height, that surpass it in extent and variety. The ¥K„>|ffgs** 
city reservoir lies to the north, about one hundred feet *PWUSOn 
down the slope of College Hill. RltJCt 

The South Drive, a part of the Old Post Road, passes 
the gateway of the beautiful rural cemetery, Locust Grove 
and many delightful homes. Another interesting drive 
from Poughkeepsie is to Lake Mohonk and Minnewaska, 
well-known resorts across tne Hudson, in the heart of 
the Shawangunk (pronounced Shongum) Mountains, also 
reached by railway or stages via New Paltz. There are 
also many extended drives to the interior of the county 
recommended to the traveler who makes Poughkeepsie for 
a time his central point; chief among these, Chestnut 
Ridge, formerly the home of the historian Benson J. 
Lossing, lying amid the hill country of eastern Dutchess. 
Its mean altitude is about 1,100 feet above tide water, 
a fragment of the Blue Ridge branch of the Appalachian 
chain of mountains, cleft by the Hudson at West Point, 
stretching away to the Berkshire Hills. It is also easy 
of access by the Harlem Railroad from New York to Dover 
Plains with three miles of carriage drive from that point. 
The outlook from the ridge is magnificent; a sweep of 
eighty miles from the Highlands to the Helderbergs, with 
the entire range of the Shawangunk and the Catskills. 
Mr. Lossing once said that his family of nine persons 
had required during sixteen years' residence on Chestnut 
Ridge, only ten dollars' worth of medical attendance. 
Previous to 1868 he had resided in Poughkeepsie, and 
throughout his life his form was a familiar one in her 
streets. 

The Dover Stone Church, just west of Dover Plains 
Village, is also well worth a visit. Here a small stream 
has worn out a remarkable cavern in the rocks forming 
a gothic arch for entrance. It lies in a wooded gorge 
within easy walk from the village. Many years ago the 
writer of this handbook paid it an afternoon visit, and 

Thy waves are old companions, I sball see \07 

A well-remembered form in each old tree ~ ' 

And hear a voice long-loved in thy wild minstrelsy. 
Joseph Rodman Drake. 



^h^ the picture has remained impressed with wonderful vivid- 

ness. The archway opens into a solid rock, and a stream 
IjUuSOn of water issues from the threshold. On entering the 
l^flirr visitor is confronted by a great boulder, resembling an 
old-fashioned New England pulpit, reaching half way to 
the ceiling. The walls are almost perfectly arched, and 
garnished here and there with green moss and white 
lichen. A rift in the rocks extends the whole length of 
the chapel, over which trees hang their green foliage, 
which, ever rustling and trembling, form a trellis-work 
with the blue sky, while the spray rising from behind the 
rock-worn altar seems like the sprinkling of holy incense. 
After all these years I still hear the voice of those dash- 
ing waters and dream again, as I did that day, of the 
brook of Cherith where ravens fed the prophet of old. 
It is said by Lossing, in his booklet on the Dover Stone 
Church, that Sacassas, the mighty sachem of the Pequoids 
and emperor over many tribes between the Thames and 
the Hudson River, was compelled after a disastrous battle 
which annihilated his warriors, to fly for safety, and, 
driven from point to point, he at last found refuge in 
this cave, where undiscovered he subsisted for a few days 
on berries, until at last he made his way through the 
territory of his enemies, the Mahicans, to the land of 
the Mohawks. 



l~^ Tell me, where'er thy silver bark be steering, 

Bright Dian floating by fair Persian faftds, 
Tell if thou visited, thou heavenly rover, 

Alovelier stream than this the wide world over. 
Charles Fenno Hoffman. 



Poughkeepsie to Kingston. 



Cfte 
©uti0an 

Leaving the Poughkeepsie dock the steamer approaches J^j^J^t 
the Poughkeepsie Bridge which, from Blue Point and 
miles below, has seemed to the traveler like a delicate 
bit of lace-worK athwart the landscape, or like an old- 
fashioned " valance " which used to hang from Dutch 
bedsteads in the Hudson River farm houses. This great 
cantilever structure was begun in 1873, but abandoned 
for several years. The work was resumed in 1886 just 
in time to save the charter, and was finished by the Union 
Bridge Company in less than three years. The bridge 
is 12,608 feet in length (or about two miles and a half), 
the track being 212 feet above the water with 165 feet 
clear above the tide in the centre span. The breadth of 
the river at this point is 3,094 feet. The bridge originally 
cost over three million dollars and much more has been 
annually spent in necessary improvements. It not only 
affords a delightful passenger route between Philadelphia 
and Boston, but also brings the coal centres of Pennsyl- 
vania to the very threshold of New England. Two raik'oads 
from the east centre here, and what was once considered 
an idle dream, although bringing personal loss to many 
stockholders, has been of material advantage to the city. 

As the steamer passes under the bridge the traveler 
will see on the left Highland station (West Shore Rail- 
road) and above this the old landing of New Paltz. A 
well traveled roa^^vdnds from the ferry and the station, 
up a narrow dgfile'by the side of a dashing stream, 
broken here andVthere in waterfalls, to Highland Village, 
New Paltz and Eake Mohonk. The Bridge and Trolley 
Line from Poujhk^^^ie make a most delightful excursion 
to New Paltz,-- (m.-^e Wallkill, seat of one of the State 
normal colleges. 

Prominent among many pleasant residences above 
Poughkeepsie are: Mrs. F. J. Allen's of New York, Mrs. 



My thoughts go back to thee, oh lovely lake, 

Lake of the Sky Top ! as thy beauties break 

Upon the traveller of thy mountain road, 

While sunset gilds theee, vision never fairer glowed ! 

Alfred B. Street, 



129 



2Dj)0 John F. Winslow's, Mrs. Thomas Newbold's, J. Roose- 

Ihtthtfntt ^^^^'^ ^^^ Archie Rogers'. The large red buildings above 
li^UU^Ull ^Y\e Poughkeepsie water works are the Hudson River 
IRit)Ct State Hospital. Passing Crum Elbow Point on the left 
and the Sisters of the White Cross Orphan Asylum, we 
see 

Hyde Park, 80 miles from New York, on the east bank, 
named some say, in honor of Lady Ann Hyde; according 
to others, after Sir Edward Hyde, one of the early British 
Governors of the colony. The first prominent place above 
Hyde Park, is Frederick W. Vanderbilt's, with Corinthian 
columns; and above this " Placentia," once the home of 
James K. Paulding. 

Immediately opposite " Placentia," at West Park on the 
west bank, is the home of John Burroughs, our sweetest 
essayist, the nineteenth century's " White of Selborno." 
Judge Barnard of Poughkeepsie, once said to the author 
of this handbook, " The best writer America has pro- 
duced after Hawthorne is John Burroughs; I wish I 
could see him." It so happened that there had been an 
important " bank " suit a day or two previous in Pough- 
keepsie which was tried before the judge in which Mr. 
Burroughs had appeared as an important witness. The 
judge was reminded of this fact when he remarked with 
a few emphatic words, the absence of which seems to 
materially weaken the sentence: "Was that Burroughs? 
Well, well, I wish I had known it." 

Mount Hymettus, overlooking West Park, so named by 
" the author and naturalist," has indeed been to him a 
successful hunting-ground for bees and wild honey, and 
will be long remembered for sweeter stores of honey 
encombed and presented in enduring type. Washington 
Irving says of the early poets of Britain that " a spray 
could not tremble in the breeze, or a leaf rustle to the 
ground, that was not seen by these delicate observers 
and wrought up into some beautiful morality." So John 
Burroughs has studied the Hudson in all its moods, know- 

1 o/v How soothing is this solitude 

■*^'^^ >X'ith nature in her wildest mood, 

Where Hudson deep, majestic, wide, 
Pours to the sea his monarch tide. 

William Wilson. 



ing well that it is not to be wooed and won in a single 
day. How clear this is seen in his articles on " Our 
River " : 

" Rivers are as various in their forms as forest trees. 
The Mississippi is like an oak with enormous branches. 
What a branch is the Red River, the Arkansas, the Ohio, 
the Missouri! The Hudson is like the pine or poplar — 
mainly trunk. From New York to Albany there is only 
an inconsiderable limb or two, and but few gnarls and 
excrescences. Cut off the Rondout, the Esopus, the Cats- 
kill and two or three similar tributaries on the east 
side, and only some twigs remain. There are some 
crooked places, it is true, but, on the whole, the Hudson 
presents a fine, symmetrical shaft that would be hard 
to match in any river in the world. Among our own 
water-courses it stands preeminent. The Columbia — 
called by Major Winthrop the Achilles of rivers — is a 
more haughty and impetuous stream; the Mississippi is, 
of course, vastly larger and longer; the St. Lawrence 
would carry the Hudson as a trophy in his belt and 
hardly know the difference; yet our river is doubtless 
the most beautiful of them all. It pleases like a moun- 
tain lake. It has all the sweetness and placidity that 
go with such bodies of water, on the one hand, and all 
their bold and rugged scenery on the other. In summer, 
a passage up or down its course in one of the day steam- 
ers is as near an idyl of travel as can be had, perhaps, 
anywhere in the world. Then its permanent and uniform 
volume, its fullness and equipoise at all seasons, and its 
gently-flowing currents give it further the character of a 
lake, or of the sea itself. Of the Hudson it may be said 
that it is a very large river for its size, — that is for the 
quantity of water it discharges into the sea. Its water- 
shed is comparatively small — less, I think, than that of 
the Connecticut. It is a huge trough with a very slight 
incline, through which the current moves very slowly, and 
which would fill from the sea were its supplies from the 






Still on the Half-Moon glides: before her rise swarms 
of quick water fowl, and from her prow the sturgeon 
leaps, and falls with echoinjg splash. 

Alfred B. Street. 



131 



^fl0 mountains cut off. Its fall from Albany tc the bay is 

only about five feet. Any object upon it, drifting with 
ipU 09011 the current, progresses southward no more than eight 
lR.iti£t niiles in twenty-four hours. The ebb-tide will carry it 

about twelve miles and the flood set it back from seven 
to nine. A drop of water at Albany, therefore, will be 
nearly three weeks in reaching New York, though it will 
get pretty well pickled some days earlier. Some rivers 
by their volume and impetuosity penetrate the sea, but 
here the sea is the aggressor, and sometimes meets the 
mountain water nearly half way. This fact was illustrated 
a couple of years ago, when the basin of the Hudson 
was visited by one of the most severe droughts ever 
known in this part of the State. In the early winter 
after the river was frozen over above Poughkeepsie, it 
was discovered that immense numbers of fish were retreat- 
ing up stream before the slow encroachment of salt 
water. There was a general exodus of the finny tribes 
from the whole lower part of the river; it was like the 
spring and fall migration of the birds, or the fleeing 
of the population of a district before some approaching 
danger: vast swarms of cat-fish, white and yellow perch 
and striped bass were en route for the fresh water farther 
north. When the people along shore made the discovery, 
they turned out as they do in the rural districts when 
the pigeons appear, and, with small gill-nets let down 
through holes in the ice, captured them in fabulous 
numbers. On the heels of the retreating perch and cat- 
fish came the denizens of the salt water, and codfish were 
taken ninety miles above New York. When the February 
thaw came and brought up the volume of fresh water 
again, the sea brine was beaten back, and the fish, what 
were left of them, resumed their old feeding-grounds. 

It is this character of the Hudson, this encroachment 
of the sea upon it, on account of the subsidence of the 
Atlantic coast, that led Professor Newberry to speak of 
it as a drowned river. We have heard of drowned ^ands, 



132 



Beneath — the river with its tranquil flood, 
Around — the breezes of the morning, scented 
With odors from the wood. 

William Allen Butler. 



Kitier 



but here is a river overflowed and submerged in the same jrjl0 
manner. It is quite certain, however, that this has not 
always been the character of the Hudson. Its great l^U 00011 
trough bears evidence of having been worn to its present 
dimensions by much swifter and stronger currents than 
those that course through it now. To this gradual sub- 
sidence in connection with the great changes wrought 
by the huge glacier that crept down from the north dur- 
ing what is called the ice period, is owing the character 
and aspects of the Hudson as we see and know them. 
The Mohawk Valley was filled up by the drift, the Great 
Lakes scooped out, and an opening for their pent-up 
waters found through what is now the St. Lawrence. 
The trough of the Hudson was also partially filled and 
has remained so to the present day. There is, perhaps, 
no point in the river where the mud and clay are not 
from two to three times as deep as the water. That 
ancient and grander Hudson lies back of us several hun- 
dred thousand years — perhaps more, for a million years 
are but as one tick of the time-piece of the Lord; yet 
even it was a juvenile compared with some of the rocks 
and mountains which the Hudson of to-day mirrors. The 
Highlands date from the earliest geological race — the 
primary; the river — the old river — from the latest, the 
tertiary; and what that difference means in terrestrial 
years hath not entered into the mind of man to con- 
ceive. Yet how the venerable mountains open their ranks 
for the stripling to pass through. Of course, the river 
did not force its way through this barrier, but has doubt- 
less found an opening there of which it has availed itself, 
and which it has enlarged. In thinking of these things, 
one only has to allow time enough, and the most stu- 
pendous changes in the topography of the country are 
as easy and natural as the going out or the coming in 
of spring or summer. According to the authority above 
referred to, that part of our coast that flanks the mouth 
of the Hudson is still sinking at the rate of a few inches 

A sloop, loitering in the distance, dropped slowly J 33 

down with the tide, her sail hanging loosely against the 
mast; and as the reflection of the sky gleamed along 
the still water, it seemed as if the vessel was suspended 
in the air. 

Washington Irving. 



Ctie 



per century, so that in the twinkling: of a hundred 
thousand years or so, the sea will completely submerge 
the city of New York, the top of Trinity Church steeple 
alone standing? above the flood. We who live so far in- 
land, and sigh for the salt water, need only to have a 
little patience, and we shall wake up some fine morning 
and find the surf beating upon our door-steps." 

How strange it seems in these brief years since 1880 
to read of *' Trinity Church steeple standing alone above 
the flood " as the rising tide of New York skyscrapers has 
long since overtopped the old landmark and is sweeping 
higher and higher day by day. 

The Frothingham residence and Frothingham dock are 
south of the Burroughs cottage. The late General Butter- 
field's house immediately to the north. The old Astor 
place (once known as Waldorf), is also near at hand. In 
our analysis ot the Hudson we refer to the hills above 
and below Poughkeepsie as ^' The Picturesque." Any one 
walking or driving from Highland Village to West Park 
will feel that this is a proper distinction. The Palisades 
are distinguished for " grandeur " which might be defined 
as " horizontal sublimity." The Highlands for " sublim- 
ity " which might be termed ''perpendicular grandeur;" 
the Catskills for '* beauty," with their rounded form and 
ever changing hues, but the river scenery about Pough- 
keepsie abides in our memories as a series of bright and 
charming '* pictures." North of Waldorf is Pelham, con- 
sisting of 1,200 acres, one of the largest fruit farms in 
the world. Passing Esopus Island, which seems like a 
great stranded and petrified whale, along whose sides 
often cluster Lilliputian-like canoeists, we see Brown's 
Dock on the west bank at the mouth of Black Creek, 
which rises eight miles from Newburgh on the eastern 
slope of the Plaaterkill Mountains. Flowing through Black 
Pond, known by the Dutch settlers as the " Grote Binne- 
water," it cascades its way along the southern slope of 
the Shaupeneak Mountains to Esopus Village, a cross-road 



134 



At dawn the river seems a shade, 

A liquid shadow deep as space, 
But when the sun the mist has laid 

A diamond shower smites its face. 

John Burroughs. 



hamlet, and thence carries to the Hudson its waters dark- ^|)0 
stained by companionship with trees of hemlock and cedar 
growth. The Pell property extends on the west bank to ipUlJ5Pn 
Pell's Dock, almost opposite tlie Staatsburgh ice houses. ?RtVl£r 
Mrs. Livingston's residence will now be seen on the east 
bank, and just above this the home of the late William 
B. Dinsmore on Dinsmore Point. Passing Vanderberg 
Cove, cut off from the river by the tracks of the New 
Yoric Central Railroad, we see the residence of Jacob 
Ruppert, and above this the Frinck mansion known as 
" Windercliffe," formerly the property of E. R. Jones, and 
next beyond the house of Robert Suckly. Passing Ellerslie 
Dock we see " Ellerslie," the palatial summer home of 
ex- Vice-President Levi P. Morton, an estate of six hun- 
dred acres, formerly owned by the Hon. William Kelly. 
Along the western bank extend the Esopus meadows, a low 
flat, covered by water, the southern end of which is 
marKed by the Esopus light-house. To the west rises 
Hussey's Mountain, about one thousand feet in height, 
from under whose eastern slope two little ponds, known 
as Binnewaters, send another stream to join Black Creek 
before it flows into the Hudson. Port Ewen on the west 
bank, with ice houses and brick yards, will be seen by 
steamer passengers below the mouth of Rondout Creek. 

Rhinecliff, 90 miles from New York. The village of 
Rhinebeck, two miles east of the landing, is not seen from 
the river. It was named, as some contend, by combining 
two words— Beekman and Rhine. Others say that the 
word beck means cliff, and the town was so named from 
the resemblance of the cliffs to those of the Rhine. There 
are many delightful drives in and about Rhinebeck, 
" Ellerslie " being only about eight minutes by carriage 
from the landing. 

The Philadelphia & Reading Rhinebeck Branch meets 
the Hudson at Rhinecliff, and makes a pleasant and con- 
venient tourist or business route between the Hudson and 
the Connecticut. It passes through a delightful country 



Upon thy tessellated surface lie 

The wave- glassed splendors of the sunset sky 1 

Knickerbocker Magazine. 



135 



lattjer 



^hg and thriving rural villaj2:es. Some of the views along: the 

Roeliffe Jansen's Kill are unrivaled in quiet beauty. The 

lPUU0On railroad passes through Rhinebeck, Red Hook, Spring 
Lake, Ellerslie, Jackson Corners, Mount Ross, Gallatin- 
ville, Ancram, Copake, Boston Corners, and Mount Riga 
to State Line Junction, and gives a person a good idea 
of the counties of Dutchess and Columbia. At Boston 
Corners connection is made with the Harlem Railroad. 

From State Line Junction it passes through Ore Hill, 
Lakeville with its beautiful lake (an evening view of 
which is still hung in our memory gallery of sunset 
sketches), Salisbury, Chapinville, and Twin Lakes to 
Canaan, where the line crosses the Housatonic Railroad. 
This route, therefore, is the easiest and pleasantest for 
Housatonic visitors en route to the Catskills. From 
Canaan the road rises by easy grade to the summit, at 
an elevation of 1,400 feet, passing through the village of 
Norfolk, with its picturesque New England church crown- 
ing the village hill, and thence to Simsbury and Hartford. 
The City of Kingston. — Rondout and Kingston gradually 
grew together until the bans were performed in 1878, and 
a " bow-knot " tied at the top of the hill in the shape of 
a city hall, making them one corporation. 

The name Rondout had its derivation from a redoubt 
that was built on the banks of the creek. The creek 
took the name of Redoubt Kill, afterward Rundoubt, and 
at last Rondout. Kingston was once called Esopus. 
(The Indian name for the spot where the city now stands 
was At-kar-karton, the great plot or meadow on which 
they raised corn or beans.) 

Kingston and Rondout were both settled in 1614, and 
old Kingston, known by the Dutch as Wiltwyck, was 
thrice destroyed by the Indians before the Revolution. 
In 1777 the State legislature met here and formed a 
constitution. In the fall of the same year, after the cap- 
ture of Fort Montgomery and Fort Clinton by the British, 
Vaughan landed at Rondout, marched to Kingston, and 

lori What ample bays and branching streams, 

What curves abrupt for filad surprise, 
And how supreme the artist is 
Who paints it all for loving eyes. 

Henry Abbey. 



iSftiet 



burned the town. While Kingston was burning, the in- jrfl0 
habitants fled to Hurley, where a small force of Amer- 
icans hung a messenger who was caught carrying dis- 10UD0On 
patches from Clinton to Burgoyne. 

Rondout is the termination of the Delaware and Hudson 
Canal (whence canal boats of coal find their way from 
the Pennsylvania Mountains to tidewater), also of the 
Ulster- and Delaware Railroad, by which people find their 
way from tidewater to the Catskill Mountains, which have 
greeted the eye of the tourist for many miles down the 
Hudson. Originally all of the country-side in this vicinity 
was known as Esopus, supposed to be derived, according 
to Ruttenber, from the Indian word " seepus," a river. 
A " sopus Indian " was a Lowlander, and the name is 
intimately connected with a long reach of territory from 
Esopus Village, near West Park, to the mouth of the 
Esopus at Saugerties. In 1675 the mouth of the Rondout 
Creek was chosen by the New Netherland Company as 
one of the three fortified trading ports on the Hudson; 
a stockade was built under the guidance of General Stuy- 
vesant in 1661 inclosing the site of old Kingston ; a charter 
was granted in 1658 under the name of Wiltwyck, but 
changed in 1679 to Kingston. Few cities are so well off 
for old-time houses that span the century, and there is 
no congregation probably in the United States that has 
worshipped so many consecutive years in the same spot 
as the Dutch Reformed people of Kingston. Five build- 
ings have succeeded the log church of 240 years ago. Dr. 
Van Slyke, in a recent welcome, said : " This church, 
\ which opens her doors to you, claims a distinction which 
does not belong even to the Collegiate Dutch Churches of 
Manhattan Island, and, by a peculiar history, stands 
identified more closely with Holland than any other of 
the early churches of this country. When every other 
church of our communion had for a long time been asso- 
ciated with an American Synod, this church retained its 
relations to the Classis of Amsterdam, and, after a period 

Yet there are those who lie beside thy bed ^ ^ ' 

For whom thou once didst rear the bowers that screen 
Thy margin, and didst water the green fields; 
And now there is no night so still that they 
Can hear thy lapse. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Cfte 
I^uD0on 



of independency and isolation, it finally allied itself with 
its American sisterhood as late as the year 1808. We 
still have three or four members whose life began before 
that date." 

IStuEt Dominie Blom was the first preacher in Kingston. The 

church where he preached and the congregation that 
gathered to hear him have been tenderly referred to by 
the Rev. Dr. Belcher: 

" They've journeyed on from touch and tone ; 

No more their ears shall hear 
Ihe war-whoop wild, or sad death moan, 

Or words of fervid prayer ; 
But the deeds they did and plans they planned, 

And paths of blood they trod. 
Have blessed and brightened all this land 

And hallowed it for God." 

The Senate House, built in 1676 by Wessel Ten Broeck, 
who would seem by his name to have stepped bodily out 
of a chapter of Knickerbocker, was " burned " but not 
" down," for its walls stood firm. It was afterwards 
repaired, and sheltered many dwellers, among others. 
General Armstrong, secretary of war under President 
Madison. The Provincial Convention met in the court 
house at Kingston in 1777 and the Constitution was 
formally announced April 22d of that year. The first 
court was held here September 9th and the first legisla- 
ture September 10th. Adjourning October 7th, they con- 
vened again August 18th, 1779, and in 1780, from April 
22d to July 2d, also for two months beginning January 
27, 1783. 

It was in the yard in front of the court house that 
the Constitution of the State was proclaimed by Robert 
Berrian, the secretary of the Constitutional Convention,! 
and it was there that George Clinton, the first Governor 
of the State, was inaugurated and took the oath of office. 
It was in the court house that John Jay, chief justice, ) 
delivered his memorable charge to the grand jury ini 



] 38 



Pinched by famine and menaced by foe 

In the cruel winters of long ago, 

They worked and prayed and for freedom wrought, 

Freedom of speech and freedom of thought. 

Frederica Davis Hatfield. 



September, 1777, and at the openng said: "Gentlemen, fir-t.^ 
it affords me very sensible pleasure to con^-ratulate you ^"^ 
on the dawn of that free, mild, and equal government |^U 00011 
which now begins to rise and break from amidst tne , 
clouds of anarchy, confusion and licentiousness, which the llitOCt 
arbitrary and violent domination of the King of Great 
Britain has spread, in greater or less degree, throughout 
this and other American states. And it gives me par- 
ticular satisfaction to remark that the first fruits of our 
excellent Constitution appear in a part of this State whose 
inhabitants have distinguished themselves by having 
unanimously endeavored to deserve them." The court 
house bell was originally imported from Holland. 

The burning of Kingston seemed unnecessarily cruel, 
and it is said that Vaughan was wide of the truth when, 
to justify the same, he claimed that he had been fired 
upon from dwellings in the village. General Sharpe in 
his address before the Holland Society says: " The history 
of this county begins to be interesting at the earliest 
stages of American history: Visited by Dutchmen m 
1614, and again in 1620, it was in the very earliest 
Colonial history, one of the strong places of the Province 
of New York. The British museum contains the report 
of the Rev. John Miller, written in the year 1695, who, 
after ' having been nearly three years resident in the 
Province of New York, in America, as chaplain of His 
Majesty's forces there, and constantly attending the Gov- 
ernor, had opportunity of observing many things of con- 
siderable consequence in relation to the Christians and 
Indians, and had also taken the drafts of all the cities, 
towns, forts and churches of any note within the same.' 
These are his own words, and he adds that in the Province 
of New York ' the places of strength are chiefly three, 
the city of New York, the city of Albany, and the town 
of Kingstone, in Ulster.' The east, north and west fronts 
ran along elevations overlooking the lowlands and having 
a varying altitude of from twenty to thirty feet. The 

1 ^Q 
A paradise of beauty in the light 
Poured by the sinking sun, the mountain glows 
In the soft summer evening. 

Alfred B. Street. 



5[!j)0 enclosure comprehended about twenty-five acres of land. 

J, There were salients, or horn works at each end of the 

ipUupOn four angles, with a circular projection at the middle of 
JT?tW|» the westerly side, where the elevation was less than upon 

the northerly and easterly sides. The church standing 
upon the ground where we now are, v/as enclosed with 
a separate stockade, to be used as the last resort in case 
of disaster, and, projecting from this separate fortifica- 
tion, a strong block-house commanded and enfiladed the 
approaches to the southerly side, which was a plain. The 
local history is of continued and dramatic interest. The 
Indian wars were signalized by a great uprising and 
attack here, which was known as the war of 1663, when 
a considerable number of the inhabitants were killed, a 
still larger number were taken prisoners, and about one- 
fourth of the houses were burned to the ground. Rein- 
forcements were sent by the governor-general from New 
Amsterdam, followed by his personal presence, when the 
Indians were driven back to the mountains, and, after a 
tedious campaign, their fields destroyed and the prisoners 
recaptured. When the next great crisis in our history 
came Kingston bore a conspicuous part. It was the scene 
of the formation of the State Government. The Consti- 
tution was here discussed and adopted. George Clinton 
was called from the Highlands, where, as a brigadier- 
general of the Continental army, he was commanding all 
the forces upon the Hudson River, which were opposing 
the attempts of Sir Henry Clinton to reach the northern 
part of the State and relieve Burgoyne, hemmed in by 
Gates at Saratoga. He was the ideal war governor — 
unbuckling his sword in the court room, that he might 
take the oath of office, and returning, immediately after 
the simple form of his inauguration, to his command upon 
the Hudson River. 

" The court house, standing opposite to us, and rebuilt 
upon its old foundations, and occupying, substantially, the 
same superficies of ground with its predecessors, recalls 



140 



Are there no scenes to touch the poet's soul. 

No deeds of arms to wake the lordly stream. 
Shall Hudson's billows unregarded roll? 

Joseph Rodman Drake. 



the dramatic scene where, surrounded by the council of 
safety, and in a square formed by two companies of 
soldiers, he was proclaimed Governor by Egbert Dumond, 
the sheriff of the county, reading his proclamation from 
the top of a barrel, and closing it with the words ' God 
save the people,' for the first time taking the place of 
' God save the King.' The only building in any way 
connected with the civil foundation of this great State 
is still standing, and presents the same appearance that 
it did at the time of its erection, prior to the year 1690. 
It was subsequently occupied by General Armstrong, who, 
while residing here for the better education of his chil- 
dren, in Kingston Academy, was appointed minister to 
France. Aaron Burr, then in attendance upon court, 
spent an evening with General Armstrong, at his house, 
and, having observed the merit of sundry sketches, made 
inquiry with regard to, and interested himself in the 
fate of John Vanderlyn, who afterwards painted the 
Landing of Columbus in the Capitol, and Marius upon 
the Ruins of Carthage — which attracted the attention of 
the elder Napoleon, and established Vanderlyn's fame. 
There are more than forty blue limestone houses of the 
general type found in Holland, still standing to-day, which 
were built before the revolutionary period, and many of 
them before the year 1700." 

Coal, cement and blue-stone are the prominent indus- 
tries of the city. The cement works yield several million 
dollars annually and employ about two thousand men. 
A million tons of coal enter the Hudson via the Port 
of Rondout from the Wyoming Valley of Pennsylvania 
every year. Blue-stone also meets tide-water at this 
point, brought in from quarries throughout the country 
by rail or by truck. The city of Kingston, the largest 
station on the West Shore between Weehawken and 
Albany, has admirable railroad facilities connecting with 
the E7ie Raihuay at Goshen via the WallkiJl Valley, and 
the Catskills via the Ulster & Delaware. All roads centre 



IS)uD0on 



River, oh river 1 upon thy tide 
Gaily the freighted vessels glide. 
Would that thou thus couldst bear away 
The thoughts that burthen my weary day. 

Charles Fenno Hoffman. 



141 



Cfte 
l^uD0on 



at the Union Station and the Ulster & Delaware connects 
at Kingston Point with the Hudson River Day Line, also 
with the Neiv York Central by ferry from Rhinebeck. 

To the Catskills. — The two principal routes to the 
Catskills are via Kingston and the Ulster & Delaware 
Railroad, and via Catskill Landing, the Catskill Mountain 
Railway and Otis Elevating Railway to the summit of 
the mountains. It has occurred to the writer to divide 
the mountain section in two parts: 

The Southern Catskills. — Kingston Point, where the 
steamer lands is indeed a picturesque portal to a pictur- 
esque journey. The beautiful park at the landing pre- 
sents the most beautiful frontage of any pleasure ground 
along the river. Artistic pagodas located at effective 
points add greatly to the natural landscape effect, and 
excursionists via Day Line from Albany have a delightful 
spot for lunch and recreation while waiting for the return 
steamer. In the busy months of mountain travel it is 
interesting to note the rush and hurry between the land- 
ing of the steamer and the departure of the train. The 
" all aboard " is given, and as we stand on the rear plat- 
form a friend points north to a bluff near Kingston Point 
and says the Indian name is " Ponckhockie " — signifying 
a burial ground. The old redoubts of Kingston, on the 
left, were defenses used in early days against the Indians. 

After leaving Kingston Union Depot, the most important 
station on the West Shore Railroad, and the terminus of 
the Wallkill Valley Railroad, we pass through Stony 
Hollow, eight miles from Rondout, where the traveler 
will note the stone tracks in the turnpike below, on the 
right side of the car, used by quarry wagons. Crossing 
the Stony Hollow ravine, we reach West Hurley, nine 
miles from Rondout and 540 feet above the sea. 

The Overlook commands an extensive view, — with an 
area of 30,000 square miles, from the peaks of New 
Hampshire and the Green Mountains of Vermont to the 
hills of New Jersey and Pennsylvania. To the east the 



142 



Let me forget the cares I leave behind. 
And with an humble spirit bow before 
The Maker of these everlastitig hills. 

Bayard Taylor 



valley reaches away with its towns and villages to the ^|)0 
blue hills of Massachusetts and Connecticut, and, through |Wtt?l<int1 
this beautiful valley, the Hudson for a hundred miles is IPUUSUII 
reduced to a mere ribbon of light. Woodstock, at the U{t)0t 
foot of the Overlook, is popular with summer visitors, 
and is a good starting point for the mountain outlook. 

Olive Branch is the pretty name of the station above 
West Hurley. Temple Pond, at the foot of Big Toinge 
Mountain, covers about one hundred acres, and affords 
boating and fishing to those visiting the foothills of the 
Southern Catskills. 

Brown's Station is three miles beyond, and near at hand 
Wincheirs Falls on the Esopus. The Esopus Creek comes 
in view near this station for the first time after leaving 
Kingston. The route now has pleasant companionship 
for twenty miles or more with the winding stream. 

Brodhead's Bridge is delightfully located on its wooded 
banks near the base of High Point, and near at hand 
is a bright cascade known as Bridal Veil Falls. 

Shokan, 18 miles from Rondout. Here the road takes 
a northerly course and we are advised by Mr. Van Loan's 
guide to notice on the left " a group of five mountains 
forming a crescent; the peaks of these mountains are 
I four miles distant;" the right-hand one is the "Witten- 
berg," and the next " Mount Cornell." Boiceville and 
Mount Pleasant, 700 feet above the Hudson, are next 
reached. We enter the beautiful Shandaken Valley, and 
three miles of charming mountain scenery bring us to — 

Phoenicia, 29 miles from Rondout and 790 feet above 
the Hudson. This is one of the central points of the 
Catskills which the mountain streams (nature's engi- 
neers) , indicated several thousand years ago. Readers 
of " Hiawatha " will remember that Gitche Manitou, the 
mighty, traced with his finger the way the streams and 
rivers should run. The tourist will be apt to think that 
he used his thumb in marking out the wild grandeur of 
Stony Clove. The Tremper House has a picturesque loca- 

Then climb the Ontioras to behold ^'*^ 

The lordly Hudson marching to the main 
And say what bard in any land of old 

Had such a river to inspire his strain. 

Thomas Wttliam Parsons. 



^uD0on 



tion in a charming]: valley, which seems to have been cut 
to fit, like a beautiful carpet, and tacked down to the 
edge of these grand old mountains. A fifteen minutes' 
walk up Mount Tremper gives a wide view, from which 
the Lake Mohonk House is sometimes seen, forty miles 
away. Phoenicia is one of the most important stations 
on the line — the southern terminus of the Stony Clove 
and Catskill Mountain division of the Ulster & Delaware 
system. Keeping to the main line for the present we 
pass through Allaben, formerly known as Fox Hollow, 
and come to — 

Shandaken, 35 miles from Rondout and 1,060 feet in 
altitude, an Indian name signifying " rapid water." Here 
are large hotels and many boarding houses and the town 
is a central point for many mountain spots and shady 
retreats in every direction — all of which are well described 
in one of the handsomest summer resort guides of the 
season, the handbook of the Ulster & Delaware Railroad. 
Three miles beyond Shandaken we come to a little station 
whose name reminds one of the plains: Big Indian, 1,209 
feet above the river. 

Big Indian. — It is said that about a century ago, a 
noble red man dwelt in these parts, who, early in life, 
turned his attention to agriculture instead of scalping, 
and won thereby the respect of the community. Tradi- 
tion has it that he was about seven feet in height, but 
was overpowered by wolves, and was buried by his 
brethren not far from the station, where a " big Indian " 
was carved out of a tree near by for his monument. An 
old and reliable inhabitant stated that he remembered the 
rude statue well, and often thought that it ought to be 
saved for a relic, as the stream was washing away thi 
roots; but it was finally carried down by a freshet, aiK 
probably found its way to some fire-place in the Esopus 
Valley. " So man passes away, as with a flood." There 
is another tale, one of love but less romantic, wherein he 
was killed by his rival and placed upright in a hollow 



II 



144 



Along the ragged top 
Smiles a rich stripe of gold that up still glides 
Until it dwindles to a thread and then. 
As breath glides from a mirror, melts away. 

Alfred B. Street. 



e 




,*•'»■•' 




tree. Perhaps neither tradition is true, and quite possibly ^f^t 
the Big Indian name grew out of some misunderstanding |W||>u^g*^ 
between the Indians and white settlers over a hundred ^UUpUll 
years ago. As the train leaves the station it begins a Ufjj^t 
grade of 150 feet per mile to — 

Pine Hill, a station perched on the slope of Belle Ayr 
Mountain. This is the watershed between the Esopus and 
the Delaware, and 226 feet above us, around the arcs of 
a double horseshoe, is the railway summit, 1,886 feet 
above the tide. 

Grand Hotel Station. — The New Grand, the second 
largest hotel in the Catskills, with a frontage of 700 feet, 
stands on a commanding terrace less than half a mile 
from the station. The main building faces southwest and 
overlooks the hamlet of Pine Hill, down the Shandaken 
Valley to Big Indian. The mountains, " grouped like giant 
kings " in the distance are Slide Mountain, Panther Moun- 
tain, Table and Balsam Mountains. Panther Mountain, 
directly over Big Indian Station, with Atlas-like shoulders, 
being nearer, seems higher, and is often mistaken for 
Slide Mountain. Table Mountain, to the right of the 
Slide, is the divide between the east branch of the Never- 
sink and the Rondout. 

Continuing our journey from the summit we pass 
through Fleischmann's to — 

Arkville, railway station for Margaretville, one and a 
half miles distant, and Andes twelve miles — connected by 
stages. Furlough Lake, the mountain home of George 
Gould, is seven miles from Arkville. An artificial cave 
near Arkville, with hieroglyphics on the inner walls, 
attracts many visitors. Passing through Kelly's Corners 
and Halcottville, we come to — 

Roxbury (altitude 1,497 feet), a quaint old village at 
the upper end of which is the Gould Memorial Church. 
Miss Helen Gould spends part of her summer here and 
has done much to make beautiful the village of her father's 
boyhood. Grand Gorge comes next 1,570 feet above the 

Sofly the mist-mantled mountains arise -.j^r 

Dim in the dawning of opal-hued skies, 
Nearer and clearer peaks burst on the view 
Lightened by silvery flashes of dew. 

James Kennedy. 



lJ)uD0on 



kLX^Z tide, where stages are taken for Gilboa three miles, and 

Prattsville five miles distant, on the Schoharie Creek. 
Pratt's Rocks are visited by hundreds because of the 
IRib^t carving in bas-relief of Colonel Pratt and figures em- 

blematic of his career. 

Stamford is now at hand, seventy-six miles from the 
Hudson, about 1,800 feet above the sea, named by settlers 
from Stamford, Conn. Here are many large hotels, chief 
among them The Rexmere and Churchill Hall. Thirteen 
miles from Stamford we come to Hobart, four miles 
further to South Kortright, and then to — 

Bloomville, eighty-nine miles from the Hudson, where a 
stage line of eight miles takes the traveler to Delhi. Pass- 
ing through Kortright, ninety-two miles from the Hudson, 
1,868 feet above the tide, East Meredith, Davenport, West 
Davenport (where passengers en route for Cooperstown 
and Richfield Springs are transferred to the Coopersfoivn 
and Charlotte Valley R. R.) and four miles bring us to 

Oneonta, on the Susquehanna division of the Hudson & 
Delaware R. R. Returning to Phoenicia we take train 
through ''Stony Clove Notch," passing Chichester, Lanes- 
ville, Edge wood and Kaaterskill Junction to — 

Hunter, terminus of the Stony Clove Road. Resuming 
the eastward journey at Kaaterskill Junction we come to — 

Tannersville, near which are Elka Park, Onteora Park 
and Schoharie Manor. 

Haines Corners is another busy station, at the head of 
Kaaterskill Clove. On the slope of Mt. Lincoln have also 
been established "Twilight," "Santa Cruz" and "Sunset" 
Parks. 

Laurel House Station. — Here the voice of a waterfall 
invites the tourist to one of the most famous spots in the 
Catskill region and a mile beyond is 

Kaaterskill Station, 2,145 feet above the sea, the highest 
point reached by any railroad in the State, and half a 
mile or so further we alight on a rocky balcony, known 
for its beautiful view all over the world. 

, ^f From greens and shades where the Kaaterskill leaps, 

^ '*" From cliffs where the wood-flowers cling. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Kingston to Catskill. 

Rhinecliff, with its historic Beekman stone house, is on 
the east bank of the river opposite Kingston. The old 
mansion, on the hillside, above the landing, was built 
before 1700 by William Beekman, first patroon of this 
section. It was used as a church and as a fort during 
the Indian struggles and still preserves the scar of a 
cannor ball from a British ship. 

FerncliiT, a mile north of the Beekman House, is the 
home of John Jacob Astor, formerly the property of 
William Astor, and above this 

Clifton Point, once knov^m as the Garretson place, the 
noted Methodist preacher whose wife was sister of Chan- 
cellor Livingston, and above this Douglas Merritt's home 
known as ** Leacote." Flatbush landing lies on the west 
bank opposite Ferncliff. 

One might almost imagine from the names of places 
and individuals here grouped on both banks of the river, 
that this reach of the Hudson was a bit of old Scotland: 
Montgomery Place and Annandale with its Livingstons, 
Donaldsons and Kidds on the east side, and Glenerie, 
Glasgo and Lake Katrine on the west. 

Barrytown is just above " Daisy Island," on the east 
bank, 96 miles from New York. It is said when General 
Jackson was President, and this village wanted a post- 
office, that he would not allow it under the name of 
Barrytown, from personal dislike to General Barry, and 
suggested another name; but the people were loyal to 
their old friend, and ivent without a postoffice until a new 
administration. The name of Barrytown, therefore, stands 
as a monument to pluck. The place was once known as 
Lower Red Hook Landing. Passing " Massena," the As- 
pinwall property, we see- 
Montgomery Place, residence of Carleton Hunt and 
sisters, about one-half mile north of Barrytown, formerly 



The Catskills to the northward rise 

With massive swell and towering crest — 

The old-time "mountains of the skies," 
The threshold of eternal rest. 

Wallace Bruce. 



147 



Cfte 
lJ)uD0on 



occuplod hy Mrs. Montgomery, wife of General Mont- 
gomery and sister of Chancellor Livingston. The follow- 
ing dramatic incident connected with Montgomery Place 
is recorded in Stone's "History of New York City": 
" In 1818 the legislature of New York— DeWitt Clinton, 
Governor — ordered the remains of General Montgomery 
to be removed from Canada to New York. This was in 
accordance with the wishes of the Continental Congress, 
which, in 1776, had voted the beautiful cenotaph to his 
memory that now stands in the wall of St. Paul's Church, 
fronting Broadway. When the funeral cortege reached 
Whitehall, N. Y., the fleet stationed there received them 
with appropriate honors; and on the 4th of July they 
arrived in Albany. After lying in state in that city 
over Sunday, the remains were taken to New York, and 
on Wednesday deposited, with military honors, in their 
final resting place, at St. Paul's. Governor Clinton had 
informed Mrs. Montgomery of the hour when the steamer 
' Richmond,' conveying the body, would pass her home. 
At her own request, she stood alone on the portico. It 
was forty years since she had parted from her husband, 
to whom she had been wedded but two years when he 
fell on the heights of Quebec ; yet she had remained faith- 
ful to the memory of her ' soldier,' as she always called 
him. The steamboat halted before the mansion; the band 
played the * Dead March,' and a salute was fired; and the 
ashes of the venerated hero, and the departed husband, 
passed on. The attendants of the Spartan widow now 
appeared, but, overcome by the tender emotions of the 
moment, she had swooned and fallen to the floor." 

The Sawkill Creek flows through a beautiful ravine in 
Montgomery grounds and above this is the St. Stephen's 
College and Preparatory School of the Episcopal Church 
in the Diocese of New York. Beyond and above this are 
Mrs. E. Bartlett's home and Deveaux Park, afterwards 
Almonte, the property of Col. Charles Livingston. We 
are now approaching — 



148 



The river that he loved so well 

Like a full heart is awed to calm, 
The winter air that wafts his knell 

Is fragrant with autumnal balm. 

Henry T. Tuckerman. 



Cruger's Island, with its indented South Bay reaching 
up toward the bluff crowned by Montgomery Place. There 
is an old Indian tradition that no person ever died on 
this island, which a resident recently said still held true. 
It is remarkable, moreover, in possessing many antique 
carved stones from a city of Central America built into 
the walls of a temple modeled after the building from 
which the graven stones were brought. The " ruin " at 
the south end of the island is barely visible from the 
steamer, hidden as it is by foliage, but it is distinctly seen 
by New York Central travelers in the winter season. Col- 
onel Cruger has spared no expense in the adornment of 
his grounds, and a beautiful drive is afforded the visitor. 
The island is connected by a roadway across a tongue of 
land which separates the North from the South Bay. 
Above this island east of the steamer's channel across 
the railw^ay of the Neiv York Central, we see a historic 
bit of water known as — 

The North Bay. It was here that Robert Fulton devel- 
oped his steamboat invention, receiving pecuniary aid from 
Chancellor Livingston, and it is fitting to give at this 
place a concise account of 

Steam Navigation, which after many attempts and 
failures on both sides of the Atlantic was at last crowned 
with success on the Hudson. 

John Fitch first entertained his idea of a steamboat in 
1785, and sent to the general assembly of the State of 
Pennsylvania a model in 1786. New Jersey and Delaware 
in 1787, gave him exclusive right to navigate their waters 
for fourteen years, which, however, was never under- 
taken. His steamboat " Perseverance," on the Delaware 
in 1787, was eighteen feet in length and six feet beam. 
The name, however, was a misnomer, as it was aban- 
doned. These facts appear by papers on file in the 
State Library at Albany. After his experiment on the 
Delaware, he traveled through France and England, but 
not meeting with the encouragement that he expected, 



Cfte 
m\sti 



Exactly one hundred years separate the first paddle- 
boat of Papin from the first steamboat of Fulton. 

Victor Hugo. 



149 



Cfte 

l^uD0on 

Kitoet 



became poor and returned home, working his passage as 
a common sailor. In 1797 he constructed a little boat 
which was propelled by steam in the old Collect Pond, 
New York, below Canal Street, between Broadway and 
the East River. 

According to records in the State Library, the steam 
was sufficiently high to propel the boat once, twice, or 
thrice around the pond. " When more water being intro- 
duced into the boiler or pot and steam was generated, 
she was again ready to start on another expedition." 
The boat was a yawl about eighteen feet in length and 
six feet beam. She was started at the buoy with a 
small oar when the propeller was used. The boiler was 
a ten or twelve gallon iron pot. This boat with a portion 
of the machinery was abandoned by Fitch, and left to 
decay on the muddy shore. Shortly after this he died 
in Kentucky in 1798. Had he lived, or, had the fortune 
like Fulton, to find such a patron as Livingston, his 
success might have been assured. His visit to Europe 
may have inspired Symington's experiment on Dalswin- 
ton Loch in 1788, which made five miles an hour, and 
another steamboat on the Forth of Clyde which made 
seven miles an hour in 1789, and the " Charlotte Dundas " 
in 1802, which drew a load of seventy tons over three 
miles against a strong gale. Something, however, was 
wanting and the idea of successful navigation was aban- 
doned in Britain till after the invention of Robert Ful- 
ton which made steam navigation an assured fact. 

" How necessary it is to succeed," said Kosciusko, at 
the grave of Washington, and this is also as true in 
the story of invention as in the struggle for freedom: 
" That they never fail who die in a great cause though 
years elapse, and others share as dark a doom. They 
but augment the deep and sweeping thoughts which over- 
power all others and conduct the world at last to fortune." 

It was the writer's privilege in 1891, to deliver the 
unveiling address of a monument to Symington at his 



J5Q I see the traditions of my fathers are true; 1 see far, 

far away the big bird again floating upon the waters, 
so far my warriors that you cannot see it, but ere two 
autumns have scattered the leaves upon my grave, the 
pale face will claim our hunting grounds. 

Aepgin, King of the Mahicans. 



C6e 



birthplace, Lead Hills, Scotland. In the tribute then paid 
to the genius of the great Scotchman who had done so 
much for invention in many directions, he said the dif- ^UD0On 
f erence between Symington and Fulton was this : " Each 
worked diligently at the same idea, but it was the good 
fortune of Fulton, so far as the steamboat was con- 
sidered, to make his ' invention ' * go.' " 

To quote from a British writer, the " Comet " of Henry 
Bell on the Clyde in 1812, was the first example of a 
steamboat brought into serviceable use within European 
waters, and the writer incidentally added that steam 
navigation in Britain took practical form almost on the 
spot where James Watt, the illustrious improver of the 
steam engine was born. The word " improver " is well 
put. It has much to do with the story of many inven- 
tions. The labor of Fitch was far-reaching in many 
directions, and it detracts nothing from Fulton's fame 
that the experiments of Fitch and Symington preceded 
his final triumph. 

Rumsey's claim to the idea of application of steam in 
1785 does not seem to hold good. General Washington, 
to whom he referred as to a conversation in 1785, replied 
to a correspondent that the idea of Rumsey, as he remem- 
bered and understood it, was simply the propelling of a 
boat by a machine, the power of which was to be merely 
manual labor. 

Robert Fulton was born in 1765, and at the time of 
Symington's experiment in Scotland, was twenty-three 
years of age. He was then an artist student of Benja- 
min West, in London, but, after several years of study, 
felt that he was better adapted for engineering, and soon 
thereafter wrote a work on canal navigation. In 1797 
he went to Paris. He resided there seven years and built 
a small steamboat on the Seine, which worked well, but 
made very slow progress. 

It is remarkable that the two most practical achieve- 
ments of our century have been consummated by artists, — 

151 

1 was glad to think that among the last memorable 
beauties which have glided past us were pictures traced 
by no common hand, not easily to grow old or fade be- 
neath the dust of time — the Kaatskill Mountains, Sleepy 
Hollow and the Tappan Zee, 

Charles Dickens. 



iirhir ^^^^ telegraph by Morse after a score of " invented " fail- 

vLD*' ures, and the successful application of steam to navigation 

|^UD0On ^y Fulton. 

Soon after his return to New York he brought his idea 
HituCt to successful completion. His reputation was now assured, 
and his invention of " torpedoes " gave him additional 
fame. Congress not only purchased these instruments 
of warfare, but also set apart $320,000 for a steam frigate 
to be constructed under his supervision. 

Through Livingston's influence the legislature passed 
an act granting to Fulton the exclusive privilege of navi- 
gating the waters of the State by means of steam power. 
The only conditions imposed were that he should, within 
a year, construct a boat of not less than " twenty tons 
burthen," which should navigate the Hudson at a speed 
not less than four miles an hour, and that one such boat 
should not fail of running regularly between New York 
and Albany for the space of one year. 

" The Clermont," named after the ancestral home of 
the Livingstons, was built for " Livingston and Fulton," 
by Charles Brownne in New York. The machinery came 
from the works of Watt and Bolton, England. She left 
the wharf of Corlear's Hook and the newspapers pub- 
lished with pride that she made in speed irom four to 
five miles an hour. She was 100 feet in length and boasted 
of " three elegant cabins, one for the ladies and two for 
the gentlemen, with kitchen, library, and every conven- 
ience." She averaged 100 passengers up or down the 
river. Every passenger paid $7, for which he had dinner, 
tea and bed, breakfast and dinner, with the liberty to 
carry 200 pounds of baggage. 

An original letter from Robert Fulton to the minister 
of Bavaria at the court of France, written in 1809, upon 
the question of putting steamboats on the Danube, is of 
interest at the present day : " The distance from New 
York to Albany is 160 miles; the tide rises as far as 
Albany; its velocity is on an average li miles an hour. 



152 



The stars are on the running stream. 
And fling, as its ripples gently flow, 

A burnished length of wavy-beam 
In an eel-like, spiral line below. 

Joseph Rodman Drake. 




'^^m 



Cfte 



We thus have tne tide half the time in favor of the boat 

and half the time against her. The boat is 100 feet 

long, 16 feet wide and 7 feet deep; the steam engine is !^UD0On 

of the power of 20 horses; she runs 4i miles an hour ^,. 

in still water. Consequently when the tide is 1^ miles *i^»'^^^ 

an hour in her favor she runs 5:^ miles an hour. When 

the tide is against her she runs 21 miles an hour. 

Thus in theory her average velocity is 4i miles an hour, 

but in practice we take advantage of the currents. When 

they are against us we keep near shore in the eddies, 

where the current is weak or the eddy in our favor; 

when the tide is in our favor we take the centre of the 

stream and draw every advantage from it. In this way 

our average speed is 5 miles an hour, and we run to 

Albany, 160 miles, in about 32 hours. Previous to the 

invention of the steamboat there were two modes of 

conveyance. One was by the common sloops; they charged 

42 francs, and were on the average four days in making 

the passage — they have sometimes been as long as eight 

days. The dread of such tedious voyages prevented great 

numbers of persons from going in sloops. The second 

mode of conveyance was the mail, or stage. They charged 

$8, or 44 francs, and the expenses on the road were about 

$5, or 30 francs, so that expenses amounted to $13. The 

time required was 48 hours. The steamboat has rendered 

the communicaton between New York and Albany so cheap 

and certain that the number of passengers are rapidly 

increasing. Persons who live 150 miles beyond Albany 

know the hour she will leave that city, and making their 

calculations to arrive at York, stay two days to transact 

business, return with the boat, and are with their families 

in one week. The facility has rendered the boat a great 

favorite with the public. 

A telegram from Exeter, N. H., in 1886, recorded the 
death of Dr. William Perry, the oldest person in Exeter 
and the oldest graduate of Harvard College, at the age 
of ninety-eight years. He was the sole survivor of the 

Through many a blooming wild and woodland green 15<? 

The Hudson's sleeping waters winding stray. 

Margargtta V. Faugeres. 



i^uD0on 

mux 



passengers on Fulton's first steamboat on its first trip 
down the Hudson, and the connecting link of three genera- 
tions of progress. He was born in 1788, was a member 
of 1811 in Harvard, and grandfather of Sarah Orne 
Jewett, the authoress. 

The writer remembers his grandfather telling him of 
going to Hudson as a boy to see the " steamboat " make 
its first trip, and how it had been talked of for a long 
time as " Fulton's Folly." One thing is sure it was a 
small cradle wherein to rock the " baby-giant " of a 
great century. How Fulton would wonder if he could 
visit to-day the great steamships born of his invention — 
successors of the " Clermont " of " Twenty tons burthen." 
How he would marvel, standing on the deck of the " Hen- 
drick Hudson," to see the water fall away from the prow 
cut by a rainbow scimitar of spray! at the great engines 
of polished steel, working almost noiselessly, and wonder 
at the way the pilot lands at the docks, even as a driver 
brings his buggy to a horse-block; for in his day, and 
long afterwards, passengers were " slued " ashore in 
little boats, as it was not regarded feasible to land a 
steamboat against a wharf. It would surely be an " ex- 
perience " for us to see the passengers at West Point, 
Newburgh, or Poughkeepsie " slued ashore " to-day in 
little rowboats. 

Tivoli, above North Bay took its name from a pre- 
revolutionary " Chateau," home of the late Colonel De- 
Peyster. The " Callender Place " to the southeast, was 
formerly the property of Johnston Livingston. Two miles 
from the river is the home of Mr. J. N. Lewis, a morning 
view from whose veranda is still remembered, and it is 
to him that the writer is indebted for a pleasant trip to 
the ruins on Cruger's Island. The residence of the late 
J. Watts DePeyster stands on a commanding bluff north 
of the railway station and it was beside his open fireside 
many years ago that he told the writer how his house 
was saved from Vaughan's cannon. " Rose Hill," was 



154 



O ! stream of the mountains if answer of thine 
Could rise from thy waters to questions of mine, 
Methinks through the din of thy thronged banks a moan 
Of sorrow would come for the days that are gone. 

Legends of the Hudson. 



mistaken for " Clermont," but a well-stocked cellar moUi- arUp> 
fied the British captain. 

It grew like one of the old English family houses, with |^UD0On 
the increase of the family, until, in strange but pictur- at>it*g»|. 
esque outline — the prevailing style being Italian, some- ^^I'J^^ 
what in the shape of a cross — it is now 114 feet long 
by 87 feet deep. The tower in the rear, devoted to 
library purposes, rises to the height of about sixty feet. 
This library, first and last, has contained between twenty 
and thirty thousand volumes. Such indefinite language 
is used, because the owner donated over half this number 
to the New York Historical Society, the New York Society 
Library, and a number of other similar organizations in 
different parts of the United States. As a working 
library, replete wth dictionaries and cyclopaedias, in many 
tongues and on almost every subject, it is a marvel. It 
is likewise very valuable for its collections on military 
and several other special topics. From it was selected 
and given to the New York Historical Society, one of 
the finest possible collections on the History of Holland, 
from the earliest period down to the present time. " Rose 
Hill " was left in his will to the Leake and Watts Orphan 
Home. 

A ferry from Tivoli to Saugerties affords communica- 
tion between the two villages. Glasco Landing, on the 
west bank, lies between the residences of Henry Corse, 
on the south, and Mrs. Vanderpool (sister of the late 
President Martin Van Buren), on the north. 

In locating the residences along the river and dealing 
so often in the words " north " and " south," we are 
reminded of a good story of Martin Van Buren. It is 
said that it was as difficult to get a direct answer from 
him as from Bismarck or Gladstone. Two friends were 
going up with him one day on a river boat and one 
made a wager with the other that a direct answer could 
not be secured on any question from the astute states- 
man. They approached the ex-president and one of them 

155 

How grateful is the sudden change 

From arid pavements to the grass, 
From narrow streets that thousands range 

To meadows where June zephyrs pass. 

Henry T. Tuckerman. 



^jkg said, " Mr. Van Buren, my friend and I have had a little 

discussion; will you tell us, does or does not the sun rise 

I^UD0Onin the east?" The ex-president calmly drew up a chair, 

IRlVlCt ^^^ said, " You must remember that the east and west 

are merely relative terms." " That settles it," said the 

questioner, '' I'll pay the bet." 

Saugerties, 101 miles from New York. From its loca- 
tion (being' the nearest of the river towns to the Catskills), 
it naturally hoped to secure a large share of tourist travel, 
but Kingston and Catskill presented easier and better facili- 
ties of access and materially shortened the hours of arrival 
at the summit. Plaaterkill Clove, wilder and grander than 
Kaaterskill Clove, about nine miles west of the village, 
has Plaaterkill Mountain, Indian Head, Twin Mountains 
and Sugar Loaf on the south, and High Peak and Round 
Top on the north. Its eighteen waterfalls not only give 
great variety to a pedestrian trip, but also ample field 
for the artist's brush. The Esopus, meeting the Hudson 
at Saugerties, supplies unfailing waterpower for its manu- 
facturing industries, prominent among which are the 
Sheffield Paper Company, the Barkley Fibre Company 
^wood pulp), the Martin Company (card board) and a 
white lead factory. There are also large shipments of 
blue stone, evidences of which are seen in many places 
near at hand along the western bank. Many attractive 
strolls near Saugerties invite the visitor, notably the walk 
to Barkley Heights south of the Esopus. An extensive 
view is obtained from the West Shore Railroad station 
west of the village and the drive thereto. North of 
Saugerties will be seen the docks and hamlets of Maiden, 
Evesport and West Camp, also the residences of J. G. 
Myers to the northwest of the Rock islet, and of H. T. 
Coswell, near which the steamer passes to the west of 
Livingston Flats. The west shore at West Camp was 
settled by exiles from the Palatinate, about 1710, and one 
of the old churches still stands a short distance inland, 
We are now in the midst of — 



156 



It is a drop for the old Hudson, and a merry time it 
has until it gets down off the mountains. 1 have thought 
how long it would be before that very water which was 
made for the wilderness will be under the bottom of a 
vessel and tossing in the salt sea. 

James Fenimore Cooper. 



The Livingston Country, whose names and memories ^j)0 
dot the landscape and adorn the history of the Hudson |W||>|tff|** 
Valley. Dutchess and Columbia Counties meet on the east *ii'W*'^*^" 
bank opposite that part of Saugerties where Sawyer's 5J{\j0t 
Creek flows into the Hudson. " Idele " was originally 
called the Chancellor Place. " Clermont " is about half 
a mile to the north, the home of Clermont Livingston, 
an early manor house built by Robert R. Livingston, who, 
next to Hamilton, was the greatest New York statesman 
during our revolutionary period. The manor church, not 
seen from the river, is at the old village of Clermont, 
about five miles due west from the mansion. The Living- 
stons are of Scotch ancestry and have an illustrious 
lineage. Mary Livingston, one of the " four Marys " who 
attended Mary Queen of Scots during her childhood and 
education in France, was of the same family. Robert 
Livingston, born in 1654, came to the Hudson Valley 
with his father, and in 1686 purchased from the Indians 
a tract of country reaching east twenty-two miles to the 
boundary of Massachusetts with a river frontage of twelve 
miles. This purchase was created, " the Lordship and 
Manor of Livingston," by Governor Thomas Dongan. In 
1692 Robert built the manor house, but did not reside 
in it for twenty years. He was a friend of Captain Kidd 
and a powerful promoter of his enterprises. The manor 
consisted of 260,000 acres. The estate of 13,000 acres, 
given to his second son Robert, was called Clermont. 
Philip, his first son, inherited 247,000 acres, by old-time 
primogeniture succession. From each of these two fami- 
lies sprang a line of vigorous and resolute men. Robert 
R. Livingston, our revolutionary hero, descended from 
the smaller estate, owned " Clermont " at the time it was 
burned by the British. It was soon rebuilt and Lafayette 
was a guest at the mansion during his visit to the United 
States in 1824. 

Above West Camp landing on the west side, is the 
boundary line between Ulster and Greene Counties ; Ulster 

Let us not then neglect to improve the advantages we 157 

possess; let us avail ourselves of the present moment to 
fix lasting peace upon the broad basis of natural union; 
let us while it is still in our power lay the foundation of 
our long happiness and the happiness of our posterity. 
Robert R. Livingston. 



Cfte 
l^uD0on 



havinp: kept us company all the way from Hampton Point 
opposite New Hambur^li. Throug-hout this lonp: stretch 
of the river one industry must not be overlooked, well 
described by John Burroughs: 

The Shad Industry.—" When the chill of the ice is out 
of the river and the snow and frost out of the air, the 
fishermen along the shore are on the lookout for the first 
arrival of shad. A few days of warm south wind the 
latter part of April will soon blow them up; it is true 
also, that a cold north wind will as quickly blow them 
back. Preparations have been making for them all winter. 
In many a farm-house or other humble dwelling along 
the river, the ancient occupation of knitting of fish-nets 
has been plied through the long winter evenings, perhaps 
every grown member of the household, the mother and 
her daughters as well as the father and his sons, lending 
a hand. The ordinary gill or drift-net used for shad 
fishing in the Hudson is from a half to three-quarters 
of a mile long, and thirty feet wide, containing about 
fifty or sixty pounds of fine linen twine, and it is a labor 
of many months to knit one. Formerly the fish were taken 
mainly by immense seines, hauled by a large number of 
men ; but now all the deeper part of the river is fished 
with the long, delicate gill-nets that drift to and fro 
with the tide, and are managed by two men in a boat. 
The net is of fine linen thread, and is practically invisible 
to the shad in the obscure river current: it hangs suspended 
perpendicularly in the water, kept in position by buoys 
at the top and by weights at the bottom; the buoys are 
attached by cords twelve or fifteen feet long, which allow 
the net to sink out of the reach of the keels of passing 
vessels. The net is thrown out on the ebb tide, stretching 
nearly across the river, and drifts down and then back 
on the flood, the fish being snared behind the gills in 
their eff'orts to pass through the meshes. I envy fisher- 
men their intimate acquaintance with the river. They 
know it by night as well as by day, and learn all its 



158 



The swelling river, into his green ^ulfs. 
Unshadowed save by passing sails above. 
Takes the redundant glory, and enjoys 
The summer in his chilly bed. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



moods and phases. The net is a delicate instrument that 
reveals all the hidden currents and by-ways, as well as 
all the sunken snag's and wrecks at the bottom. By day 
the fisherman notes the shape and position of his net 
by means of the line or buoys; by night he marks the 
far end of it with a lantern fastened upon a board or 
block. The night tides he finds differ from the day — 
the flood at night being much stronger than at other 
times, as if some pressure had been removed with the 
sun, and the freed currents found less hindrance. The 
fishermen have terms and phrases of their own. The 
wooden tray upon which the net is coiljed, and which sits 
in the stern of the boat, is called a * cuddy.' The net 
is divided into * shots.' If a passing sloop or schooner 
catches it with her centre-board or her anchor, it gives 
way where two or three shoots meet, and thus the whole 
net is not torn. The top cord or line of the net is called 
a * cimline.' One fisherman * plugs ' another when he puts 
out from the shore and casts in ahead of him, instead 
of going to the general starting place, and taking his 
turn. This always makes bad blood. The luck of the 
born fisherman is about as conspicuous with the gill-net 
as with the rod and line, some boats being noted for 
their great catches the season through. No doubt the 
secret is mainly through application to the business in 
hand, but that is about all that distinguishes the success- 
ful angler. The shad campaign is one that requires 
pluck and endurance; no regular sleep, no regular meals; 
wet and cold, heat and wind and tempest, and no great 
gains at last. But the sturgeon fishers, who come later 
and are seen the whole summer through, have an indolent, 
lazy time of it. They fish around the * slack-water,' catch- 
ing the last of the ebb and the first of the flow, and 
hence drift but little either way. To a casual observer 
they appear as if anchored and asleep. But they wake 
up when they have a ' strike,' which may be every day, 
or not once a week. The fishermen keep their eye on 



Rftoer 



I heard the plaintiff note of the Whip-poor-will from 
the mountain-side, or was startled now and then by the 
sudden leap and heavy splash of the sturgeon. 

Washingtofi Irving. 



159 



^uD0an 



the line of buoys, and when two or more of them are 
hauled under, he knows his game has run foul of the 
net, and he hastens to the point. The sturg-eon is a pig, 
without the pig's obstinacy. He spends much of the time 
rooting and feeding in the mud at the bottom, and en- 
counters the net, coarse and strong, when he goes abroad. 
He strikes, and is presently hopelessly entangled, when 
he comes to the top and is pulled into the boat, like a 
great sleepy sucker. For so dull and lubbery a fish, the 
sturgeon is capable of some very lively antics; as, for 
instance, his habit of leaping full length into the air and 
coming down with a great splash. He has thus been 
known to leap unwittingly into a passing boat, to his own 
great surprise, and to the alarm and consternation of 
the inmates." 

Germantown. — Germantown Station is now seen on the 
east bank, and between this and Germantown Dock, three 
miles to the north, is obtained the best view of the " Man 
in the Mountain," readily traced by the following ouc- 
line: The peak to the south is the knee, the next to the 
north is the breast, and two or three above this the chin, 
the nose and the forehead. How often from the slope 
of Hillsdale, forty miles away on the western trend of 
the Berkshires, when a boy, playing by the fountain-heads 
of the Kinderhook and the Roeliffe Jansen's Creek, have 
I looked out upon this mountain range aglow in the sunset, 
and at even-tide heard my grandfather tell of his far-off 
journeys to Towanda, Pennsylvania, when he drove 
through the great Cloves of the Catskills, where twice he 
met " a bear " which retreated at the sound of his old flint- 
lock, and then when I went to sleep at night how I pulled 
the coverlet closer about my head, all on account of those 
two bears that had been dead for more than forty years. 

The Catskills were called by the Indians On-ti-o-ras, or 
mountains of the sky, as they sometimes seem like clouds 
along the horizon. This range of mountains was supposed 
by the Indians to have been originally a monster who 



ino 



And, sister, now my children come 

To find the water just as cool, 
To play about our grandsire's home. 

To see our pictures in the pool. 

Wallace Bruce. 



devoured all the children of the red men, until the great ^jh£ 
spirit touched him when he was going down to the salt 
lake to bathe, and here he remains. "Two little lakes 131100011 
upon the summit were regarded the eyes of the monster, r^fy,-^*. 
and these are open all the summer; but in the winter *»»^^'^^ 
they are covered with a thick crust or heavy film; but 




THE MAN IN THE MOUNTAIN. 

whether sleeping or waking tears always trickle down his 
cheeks. In these mountains, according to Indian belief, 
was kept the great treasury of storm and sunshine, pre- 
sided over by an old squaw spirit who dwelt on the highest 
peak of the mountains. She kept day and night shut up 
in her wigwam, letting out only one at a time. She 



Alps of the Hudson, whose bold summits rise 

Into the upper ether of the skies. 

Cleaving with calm content 

The cloudless crystal of the firmament. 

Joel Benton. 



161 



Dutison 
Uiuer 



manufactured new moons every month, cutting up the 
old ones into stars," and, like the old -F>olus of mythology, 
shut the winds up in the caverns of the hills: — 

Where Manitou once lived and reigned. 

Great Spirit of a race gone by, 
And Ontiora lies enchained 

With face uplifted to the sky. 

The Catskill Mountains are now something more than 
a realm of romance and poetry or a mountain range of 
beauty along our western horizon, for, from this time 
forth the old squaw spirit wall be kept busy with her 
" Treasury of Tear Clouds," as the water supply of New 
York is to come from these mountain sources. 

The Catskill Water Supply. — The cost of this great 
undertaking is estimated at $162,000,000. Four creeks: 
The Esopus, Rondout, Schoharie and Catskill will consti- 
tute the main source of supply. The total area of the 
entire watershed is over nine hundred square miles, and 
the supply will exceed 800,000,000 gallons daily. The 
work projected will bring to the city 500,000,000 gallons 
per day. 

The Ashoken Reservoir, 12 miles long and two miles 
wide, will hold 120,000,000,000 gallons. The Catskill Aque- 
duct supply from Ashoken Reservoir will deliver the 
water without pumping to Hill View Reservoir in Yonkers 
high enough for gravity distribution. It will take from 
ten to fifteen years to complete the work, which is begun 
none too early, as the population of Greater New York 
will be over 5,000,000 in 1915, and its water consump- 
tion 1,000,000,000 gallons. In 1930 the population will 
be 7,000,000 and will call for a consumption of 100,000,- 
000,000 gallons daily. We are indeed " ancients of the 
earth and in the morning of our times." From the far 
limits of the gathering grounds some of the water will 
flow 130 miles to reach the city hall, and 20 miles further 
to the southern extremity of Staten Island. 



1G2 



The majestic Hudson is on my left. 

The Catskills rise in my dream; 
The cataracts leap from the mountain cleft 

And the brooks in the sunlight gleam. 

Minol F. Savage. 



Between Old Cro' Nest and Cold Spring the water will 
be syphoned under the Hudson through a concrete tube 
six hundred feet below the surface of the river. 

The Croton Water Works, at a cost of about $14,000,000, 
completed in 1842, were regarded the greatest undertaking 
since the Roman Aqueduct. Many improvements to meet 
increased demand have been made since that time. Fifty 
years from now it is quite possible that the Catskill 
System will seem like the Croton of to-day, as a small 
matter, and our next step will be "An Adirondack 
System," making the successive steps of our water supply 
the Croton, the Catskills and the Adirondacks. 

It is fortunate that our city destined to be the world's 
emporium, has everything at hand needed for comfort 
and safety. 

John Bigelow, the literary and political link of the cen- 
tury, born at Malden-on-the-Hudson, in 1817, was present 
at the inauguration of the work at Cold Spring, June, 1907. 
It was the writer's privilege to meet him often on the 
Hudson River steamers in the decade of 1870, and to 
receive from him many graphic descriptions of the early 
life and customs of the Hudson. What memories must 
have thronged upon him as he contrasted the life of three 
generations ! 

The Clover Reach. — We are now in what is known as 
The Clover Reach of the Hudson which extends to the 
Backerack near Athens. One mile above Germantown 
Dock stood Nine Mile Tree, a landmark among old river 
pilots so named on account of its marking a point nine 
miles from Hudson. Above this the Roeliffe Jansen's Kill 
flows into the river, known by the Indians as Saupenak, 
rising in Hillsdale within a few feet of Greenriver Creek, 
immortal in Bryant's verse. The Greenriver flows east 
into the Housatonic, the Jansen south into Dutchess 
County, whence it takes a northerly course until it joins 
the Hudson. The Burden iron furnaces above the mouth 
of the stream form an ugly feature in the landscape. 



Cfte 
DuD$on 



The fields and waters seem to us this Sabbath morn- 
ing from the summit of the Catskills, no more truly 
property than the skies that shine upon them. 

Harriet Martineau. 



163 



^bt "^^^^ ^^ ^^® southern boundary of the Herman Livingston 

estate, whose house is one mile and a half further up 
IpUUdOn the river, near Livingston Dock, beneath Oak Hill. Green- 
IRillCt ^^^^^ station is now seen on the east bank, directly opposite 

Catskill Landing, which the steamer is now approaching. 
Catskill, 111 miles from New York, was founded in 
1678 by the purchase of several square miles from the 
Indians. The landing is immediately above the mouth 
of the Catskill or Kaaterskill Creek. It is said that the 
creek and mountains derive their name as follows: It is 
known that each tribe had a totemic emblem, or rude 
banner; the Mahicans had the wolf as their emblem, and 
some say that the word Mahican means an enchanted 
wolf. (The Lenni Lenapes, or Delawares, had the turkey 
as their totem.) Catskill was the southern boundary of 
the Mahicans on the west bank, and here they set up 
their emblem. It is said from this fact the stream took 
the name of Kaaters-kill. The large cat or wolf, similar 
in appearance, forms the mark of King Aepgin on his 
deed to Van Rensselaer, Perhaps, however, the moun- 
tains at one time abounded in these animals, and the 
name may be only a coincidence. The old village, with 
its main street, lies along the valley of the Catskill Creek, 
not quite a mile from the Catskill Landing, and pre- 
serves some of the features of the days when Knicker- 
bocker was accustomed to pay it an annual visit. The 
location seems to have been chosen as a place of security 
— out of sight to one voyaging up the river. The northern 
slope now reveals fine residences, all of which command 
extensive views. Just out of the village proper, on a 
beautiful outlook, stands the charming Prospect Park 
Hotel. The drives and pedestrian routes in the vicinity 
of Catskill are well condensed by Walton Van Loan, a 
resident of the village, whose guide to the Catskills is the 
best on this region and will be of great service to all 
who would like to understand thoroughly the mountain 
district. 



1(54 



Ah ! how often when I have been abroad on the moun- 
tains has my heart risen in grateful praise to God that 
it was not my destiny to waste and pine among those 
noisome congregations of the city. 

John James Aadubon. 



The Northern Catskills.— The northern and southern 5[^|)0 
divisions have been indicated not so much as mountain 
divisions, but in order to better emphasize the two routes, ipU05un 
which converge from Kingston and Catrkill toward each TRtfVl0r 
other, drawn by two principal points of attraction, the 
Catskill Mountain House and the Hotel Kaaterskill. 

The Catskill Mountain House has been widely known 
for almost a century. The original proprietor had the 
choice of location in 1823, when the entire ^^ange was a 
vast mountain wilderness, and he made excel" «nt selec- 
tion for its site. It seems as if the rocky balcony was 
especially reared two thousand feet above the valley for 
a grand outlook and restful resort. " What can you 
see," exclaimed Natty Bumppo, one of Cooper's favorite 
characters. " Why, all the world;" and this is the feeling 
to-day of everyone looking down from this point upon 
the Hudson Valley. 

The Mountain House Park has a valley frontage of 
over three miles in extent, and consists of 2,780 acres of 
magnificent forest and farming lands, traversed in all 
directions by many miles of carriage roads and paths, 
leading to various noted places of interest. The Crest, 
Newman's Ledge, Bear's Den, Prospect Rock on North 
Mountain, and Eagle Rock and Palenville Overlook on 
South Mountain, from which the grandest views of the 
region are obtained, are contained in the property. It 
also includes within its boundaries North and South Lakes, 
both plentifully stocked with various kind of fish and 
well supplied with boats and canoes. The atmosphere 
is delightful, invigorating and pure; the great elevation 
and surrounding forest render it free from malaria. The 
temperature is fifteen to twenty degrees lower than at 
Catskill Village, New York City or Philadelphia. 

The Otis Elevating Railway, made possible by the enter- 
prise of the late Commodore Van Santvoord, extends from 
Otis Junction on the Catskill Mountain Railway to Otis 
Summit, a noble altitude of the Catskill Range. The 

Cooper's "Leatherstocking" is the one melodious syn- 165 

opsis of man and nature. 

Thomas Carlyle. 



Cfte 
Riuet 



incline railway, 7,000 feet in length, ascends 1,600 feet 
and attains an elevation of 2,200 feet above the Hudson 
River. " In length, elevation, overcome and carrying 
capacity it exceeds any other incline railway in the world. 
It is operated by powerful stationary engines and huge 
steel wire cables, and the method employed is similar 
to that used by the Otis Elevator Company for elevators 
in buildings. Every safeguard has been provided, so 
that an accident of any kind is practically impossible. 
Should the machinery break, the cables snap or track 
spread, an ingenious automatic device would stop the cars 
at once. A passenger car and baggage car are attached 
to each end of double cables which pass around immense 
drums located at the top of the incline. While one train 
rises the other descends, passing each other midway. 
By this arrangement trains carrying from seventy-five to 
one hundred passengers can be run in each direction 
every fifteen minutes w^hen necessary, the time required 
for a trip being only ten minutes. This is a vast im- 
provement over the old way of making the ascent of the 
mountains by stage, as it reduces the time fully one 
and a half hours, besides adding greatly to the pleasure 
of the trip. The ride up the mountains on the incline 
railway is a novel and delightful experience, and is alone 
worth a visit to the Catskills. As the train ascends, the 
magnificent panorama of the valley of the Hudson, ex- 
tending for miles and miles, is gradually unfolded; while 
the river itself, like a ribbon of silver glistening in the 
sun, and the Berkshire Hills in the distance seem to 
rise to the view of the passenger. At the summit of the 
incline passengers for the Laurel House, Haines Corners, 
Ontiora, Sunset, Twilight, Santa Cruz, Elka Park, and 
Tannersville, take the trains of the Kaaterskill Railroad, 
which connect with the Otis Elevating Railway." 

Two miles from the summit landing are the Kaaterskill 
Falls. The upper fall 175 feet, lower fall 85 feet. The 



166 



The din of toil comes faintly swelling up 
From green fields far below, and all around 
The forest sea sends up its ceaseless roar 
Like the ocean's everlasting chime. 

Bayard Taylor. 



amphitheatre behind the cascade is the scene of one of ^D^ 
Bryant's finest poems: fDUDSOn 



" From greens and shades where the Kaaterskill leaps 
From cliffs where the wood flowers cling ; " 

and we recall the lines which express so beautifully the 
well-nigh fatal dream 

" Of that dreaming one 
By the base of that icy steep, 

When over his stiffening limbs begun 
The deadly slumber of frost to creep." 

About half-way up the old mountain carriage road, is 
the place said to be the dreamland of Rip Van Winkle — 
the greatest character of American mythology, more real 
than the heroes of Homer or the massive gods of Olympus. 
The railway, however, has rather dispensed with Rip 
Van Winkle's resting-place. The old stage drivers had so 
long pointed out the identical spot where he slept that 
they had come to believe in it, but his spirit still haunts 
the entire locality, and we can get along without his " open 
air bed chamber." It will not be necessary to quote from 
a recent guide-book that " no intelligent person probably 
believes that such a character ever really existed or had 
such an experience." The explanation is almost as humor- 
ous as the legend. 

The Hotel Kaaterskill, whose name and fame went over 
a continent even before it was fairly completed, is located 
on the summit of the Kaaterskill Mountain, three miles 
by carriage or one by path from the Catskill Mountain 
House. It is the largest mountain hotel at this time in 
the world, accommodating 1,200 guests, and the Catskills 
have reason to feel proud of this distinction. They have 
for many years had the best-known legend — the wonderful 
and immortal Rip Van Winkle. They have always enjoyed 
the finest valley views of any mountain outlook, and they 
have a right to the best hotels. 



There is a fall in the hills, where the water of two 

little ponds runs over the rocks into the valley. The 

first pitch is nigh two hundred feet and the water looks 

like flakes of driven snow before it touches the bottom. 

James Fenimore Cooper. 



167 



Ritjer 



IpiiDson 



It may seem antiquated and old-fashioned in the midst 
of elevated railroads to speak of mountain driveways, 
but that to Palenville, as we last saw it, was a beautiful 
piece of engineering — as smooth as a floor and securely 
built. It looks as if it were intended to last for a cen- 
tury, the stone work is so thoroughly finished. The views 
from this road are superior to anything we have seen 
in the Catskills, and the great sweep of the mountain clove 
recalls a Sierra Nevada trip on the way to the Yosemite. 

The writer will never forget another Catskill drive 
fully twenty years ago. Starting one morning with a 
pair of mustang ponies from Phoenicia, we called at the 
Kaaterskill, the Catskill Mountain House, and the Laurel 
House, took supper at Catskill Village, and reached New 
York that evening at eleven o'clock. It is unnecessary 
to say that we were on business — our book w^as on the 
press — and we went as if one of the printers' best-known 
companions w^as on our trail. 

Irving's description of his first voyage up the river 
brings us more delicately and gracefully down from these 
mountains to the Hudson — the level highway to the sea. 
"Of all the scenery of the Hudson, the Kaatskill Moun- 
tains had the most witching effect on my boyish imagina- 
tion. Never shall I forget the effect upon me of my 
first view of them, predominating over a wnde extent of 
country — part wild, woody and rugged; part softened 
aw^ay into all the graces of cultivation. As we slowly 
floated along, I lay on the deck and watched them through 
a long summer's day, undergoing a thousand mutations 
under the magical effects of atmosphere; sometimes seem- 
ing to approach; at other times to recede; now almost 
melting into hazy distance, now burnished by the setting 
sun, until in the evening they printed themselves against 
the glowing sky in the deep purple of an Italian 
landscape." 



168 



Limned upon the fair horizon, 

>X'est from centra! Hudson's tide, 

The fair form of Ontiora 
Throughout ages shall abide. 

Jared Barhete. 



II 




,.ii: 



\ 




Catskill to Hudson. i^liri<?nn 

Leaving Catskill dock, the Prospect Park Hotel looks If? jvi^f 
down upon us from a commanding point on the west bank, 
while north of this can be seen Cole's Grove, where 
Thomas Cole, the artist, lived, who painted the well- 
known series, the Voyage of Life. On the east side is 
Rodger's Island, where it is said the last battle was 
fought between the Mahicans and Mohawks; and it is 
narrated that " as the old king of the Mahicans was 
dying, after the conflict, he commanded his regalia to be 
taken off and his successor put into the kingship while 
his eyes were yet clear to behold him. Over forty years 
had he worn it, from the time he received it in London 
from Queen Anne. He asked him to kneel at his couch, 
and, putting his withered hand across his brow, placed 
the feathery crown upon his head, and gave him the 
silver-mounted tomahawk — symbols of power to rule and 
power to execute. Then, looking up to the heavens, he 
said, as if in despair for his race, * The hills are our 
pillows, and the broad plains to the west our hunting- 
grounds; our brothers are called into the bright wigwam 
of the Everlasting, and our bones lie upon the fields of 
many battles; but the wisdom of the dead is given to 
the living.' " 

On the east bank of the Hudson, above this historic 
island, is the residence of Frederick E. Church, whose 
glowing canvas has linked the Niagara with the Hudson. 
It commands a wide view of the Berkshire Hills to the 
eastward, and westward to the Catskills. The hill above 
Rodgers' Island, on the east bank, is known as Mount 
Merino, one of the first places to which Merino sheep 
were brought in this country. 

Hudson, 115 miles from New York, was founded in the 
year 1784, by thirty persons from Providence, R. I., and 
incorporated as a city in 1785. The city is situated on 

White fleecy clouds move slowly by. 169 

How cool their shadows fall to-day! 
A moment on the hills they lie 

And then like spirits glide away. 

Henry T. Tuckerman. 



€f)C 

rpuDson 

Riucr 



a sloping promontory, bounded by the North and South 
Bays. Its main streets, Warren, Union and Allen, run 
east and west a little more than a mile in length, crossed 
by Front Street, First, Second, Third, etc. Main Street 
reaches from Promenade Park to Prospect Hill. The 
park is on the bluff just above the steamboat landing; 
we believe this city is the only one on the Hudson that 
has a promenade ground overlooking the river. It com- 
mands a fine view of the Catskill Mountains, Mount 
Merino, and miles of the river scenery. The city has 
always enjoyed the reputation of hospitality. It is the 
western terminus of the Hudson and Chatham division 
of the Boston & Albany Railroad, and also of the Kinder- 
hook & Hudson Railway. 

From an old-time English history we read that Hudson 
grew more rapidly than any other town in America 
except Baltimore. Standing at the head of ship naviga- 
tion it would naturally have become a great port had it 
not been for the railway and the steamboat which made 
New York the emporium not only of the Hudson, but also 
of the continent. 

Hudson had also a good sprinkling of Nantucket blood, 
and visitors from that quaint old town recognize in portico, 
stoop and window a familiar architecture. 

Columbia Springs, an old-time resort with pleasant 
grove and white sulphur water, is four miles northeast 
of Hudson. Its medicinal qualities are attested by scores 
of physicians, and by hundreds who have been benefited 
and cured. The drive is pleasant and the return can be 
made through — 

Claverack, three and a half miles east of Hudson, a 
restful old-fashioned village situated at the crossing of the 
Old Post Road and the Columbia turnpike and county 
seat of Columbia in Knickerbocker days. The court house 
on its well-shaded street was for many years the home 
of the late Peter Hoffman. The Dutch Reformed Church, 
built of bricks brought from Holland, wears on its brow 



170 



I "Jaw the green banks of the castle-crowned Rhine, 
Where the grapes drink the moonlight and change into 

wine. 
But my heart would still yearn for the sound of the 

waves 
That sing as they flow by my forefather's graves. 
Oliver Wendell Holmes. 



\ 



wrinkles of antiquity, emphasized by the date 1767 ^1)0 
on its walls. It is said that General Washington en- rw„>|tfnn 
camped here, but there is no historical data to confirm '^^•^•'^"'^n 
the tradition. Claverack Falls is well worth a visit, which RJtJCr 
can easily be made in an afternoon stroll. Copake Lake, 
to the southeast, can be reached by a drive of about 
twelve miles, a fine sheet of water ten miles in circum- 
ference, with a picturesque island connected to the main 
land by a causeway. Forty years ago a romantic ruin 
of a stone mansion still stood on this island, where the 
writer, when a boy, used to wander around the deserted 
rooms looking for ghosts, but the walls were torn down 
July 4, 1866, as the place was frequented every summer 
by a remnant of the old Stockbridge tribe. The neighbors 
thought the best way of getting rid of the "noble red 
men " was to bum up the hive. The mansion was 
built by a Miss Livingston, but she soon exchanged her 
island home for Florence and the classic associations of 
Italy. Bash-Bish, one mile from Copake Station on the 
Harlem Railroad, one of the most romantic glens in our 
country, has been visited and eulogized by Henry Ward 
Beecher, Bayard Taylor and many distinguished writers 
and travelers. Soon after leaving Copake Station a beau- 
tiful carriage road, but extremely narrow, strikes the 
left bank of this mountain stream, and for a long distance 
follows its rocky channel. On the right a thickly wooded 
hill rises abruptly more than a thousand feet — a perfect 
wall of foliage from base to summit. A mile brings one 
to the lower falls; the upper falls are about a quarter 
of a mile farther up the gorge. The height of the falls, 
with the rapids between, is about 300 feet above the little 
rustic bridge at the foot of the lower falls. The glen 
between is a place of wild beauty, with rocks and huge 
boulders " in random ruin piled." 

Hillsdale Village has a beautiful location and affords 
a good central point for visiting Mount Everett, with its 
wide prospect (altitude 2,624 feet), Copake Lake six miles 

Welcome ye pleasant dales and hills, ^ n , 

Where dream-like passed my early days ! ^ ' ^ 

Ye cliffs and glens and laughing rills 
That sing unconscious hymns of praise ! 

Wallace Bruce. 



^1)0 to the west, Bash-Bish Falls six miles south, and Po-ka-no 

five miles to the northeast, sometimes known as White's 
l3UD$0n Hill. The Po-ka-no, Columbia County's noblest outlook, 
RillCr ij^lS feet, commands the Hudson Valley for eighty miles; 

and the owner says that he saw the fireworks from there 
the night of the Newburgh centennial in 1883. From 
the summit can be seen " Monument Mountain " and the 
Green Mountains of Vermont. At its base glides the 
" Green River Creek," which flows into the Housatonic 
near Great Barrington. From this point the drive can 
be continued to North Egremont, South Egremont, Great 
Barrington and Monument Mountain. Before the days 
of railroads the Columbia turnpike was the great trade 
artery of the city of Hudson. It was interesting to hear 
William Cullen Bryant recount his experiences in driving 
from his home in Great Barrington over the well-known 
highway on his way to New York. The Housatonic and 
Harlem Railroads tapped its life and have left many a 
sleepy village along the route, once astir in staging days. 
The stone for Girard College was drawn from Massa- 
chusetts quarries over this route and shipped to Philadel- 
phia from Hudson. The Lebanon Valley, in the north- 
eastern part of the county, is considered one of the most 
beautiful in the State, and said by Sir Henry Vincent, 
the English orator, to resemble the far-famed valley of 
Llangollen, in Wales. The Wy-a-mon-ack Creek flows 
through the valley, joining its waters with the Kinder- 
hook. Quechee Lake is near at hand, where Miss Warner 
was born, author of " Queechee " and the " Wide Wide 
World." 

Lindenwald, a solid and substantial residence, home of 
President Martin Van Buren, where he died in 1862, is 
two miles from the pleasant village of Kinderhook. Co- 
lumbia County just missed the proud distinction of rearing 
two presidents, as Samuel J. Tilden was born in the town 
of Lebanon. Elisha Williams, John Van Buren and many 
others have given lustre to her legal annals. 



\7^2 



Ever fonder, e\er dearer 

Seems our youth that hastened by. 
And we love to live in memoty 

When our fond hopes fade and die. 

Wallace Bruce. 



Hudson to Albany. 

©uD0on 

Athens. — Directly opposite Hudson, and connected with 
it by ferry, is the classically named village of Athens. RltJCt 
An old Mahican settlement known as Potick was located 
a little back from the river. We are now in the midst 
of the great 

" Ice Industry," which reaches from below Staatsburgh 
to Castleton and Albany, well described by John Bur- 
roughs in his article on the Hudson : " No man sows, yet 
many men reap a harvest from the Hudson. Not the 
least important is the ice harvest, which is eagerly looked 
for, and counted upon by hundreds, yes, thousand of labor- 
ing men along its course. Ice or no ice sometimes means 
bread or no bread to scores of families, and it means 
added or diminished comforts to many more. It is a crop 
that takes two or three weeks of rugged winter weather 
to grow, and, if the water is very roily or brackish, even 
longer. It is seldom worked till it presents seven or eight 
inches of clear water ice. Men go out from time to 
time and examine it, as the farmer goes out and examines 
his grain or grass, to see when it will do to cut. If 
there comes a deep fall of snow the ice is ' pricked ' so 
as to let the water up through and form snow ice. A 
band of fifteen or twenty men, about a yard apart, each 
armed with a chisel-bar, and marching in line, puncture 
the ice at each step, with a single sharp thrust. To 
and fro they go, leaving a belt behind them that presently 
becomes saturated with water. But ice, to be of first 
quality, must grow from beneath, not from above. It is 
a crop quite as uncertain as any other. A good yield 
every two or three years, as they say of wheat out west, 
is about all that can be counted upon. When there is an 
abundant harvest, after the ice houses are filled, they 
stack great quantities of it, as the farmer stacks his 
surplus hay. Such a fruitful winter was that of '74-5, 

173 

But when in the forest bare and old 

The blast of December calls. 
He builds in the starlight clear and cold 

A palace of ice where his torrent falls. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Cf)C 
DuDson 



when the ice formed twenty inches thick. The stacks 
are given only a temporary covering of boards, and are 
the first ice removed in the season. The cutting and 
gathering of the ice enlivens these broad, white, desolate 
fields amazingly. My house happens to stand where I 
look down upon the busy scene, as from a hill-top upon 
a river meadow in haying time, only here figures stand 
out much more sharply than they do from a summer 
meadow. There is the broad, straight, blue-black canal 
emerging into view, and running nearly across the river; 
this is the highway that lays open the farm. On either 
side lie the fields, or ice meadows, each marked out by 
cedar or hemlock boughs. The farther one is cut first, 
and when cleared, shows a large, long, black parallelogram 
in the midst of the plain of snow. Then the next one 
is cut, leaving a strip or tongue of ice between the two 
for the horses to move and turn upon. Sometimes nearly 
two hundred men and boys, with numerous horses, are 
at work at once, marking, plowing, planing, scraping, 
sawing, hauling, chiseling; some floating down the pond 
on great square islands towed by a horse, or their fellow 
workmen; others distributed along the canal, bending to 
their ice-hooks; others upon the bridges separating the 
blocks wath their chisel bars; others feeding the elevators; 
while knots and straggling lines of idlers here and there 
look on in cold discontent, unable to get a job. The best 
crop of ice is an early crop. Late in the season or after 
January, the ice is apt to get * sun-struck,' when it 
becomes ' shaky,' like a piece of poor timber. The sun, 
when he sets about destroying the ice, does not simply 
melt it from the surface — that were a slow process; but 
he sends his shafts into it and separates it into spikes 
and needles — in short, makes kindling-wood of it, so as 
to consume it the quicker. One of the prettiest sights 
about the ice harvesting is the elevator in operation. 
When all works well, there is an unbroken procession of 
the great crystal blocks slowly ascending this incline. 



174 



Where the frost trees shoot with leaf and spray 
And frost gems scatter a silver ray. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



They go up in couples, arm in arm, as it were, like ^^ 
friends up a stairway, glowing and changing in the sun, ^^^ 
and recalling the precious stones that adorned the walls l^UDSOH 
of the celestial city. When they reach the platform where 
they leave the elevator, they seem to step off like things RlVJCt 
of life and volition; they are still in pairs and separate 
only as they enter upon the * runs.' But here they have 
an ordeal to pass through, for they are subjected to a 
rapid inspection and the black sheep are separated from 
the flock; every square with a trace of sediment or earth- 
stain in it, whose texture is not perfect and unclouded 
crystal, is rejected and sent hurling down into the abyss; 
a man with a sharp eye in his head and a sharp ice-hook 
in his hand picks out the impure and fragmentary ones 
as they come along and sends them quickly overboard. 
Those that pass the examination glide into the building 
along the gentle incline, and are switched off here and 
there upon branch runs, and distributed to all parts of 
the immense interior." 

Passing west of the Hudson Flats we see North Bay, 
crossed by the New York Central Railroad. Kinderhook 
Creek meets the river about three miles north of Hudson, 
directly above which is Stockport Station for Columbia- 
ville. Four Mile Light-house is now seen on the opposite 
bank. Nutten Hook, or Coxsackie Station, is four miles 
above Stockport. Opposite this point, and connected by 
a ferry, is the village of — 

Coxsackie (name derived from Kaak-aki, or place of 
wild geese, " aki " in Indian signifies place and it is singu- 
lar to find the Indian word " Kaak " so near to the 
English ''cackle"). Two miles north Stuyvesant Land- 
ing is seen on the east bank, the nearest station on the 
Ne2v York Central & Hudson River Railroad, by carriage, 
to Valatie and Kinderhook. The name Kinderhook is 
said to have had its origin from a point on the Hudson 
prolific in children; as the children were always out of 
doors to see the passing craft, it was known as Kinder- 



How fair the thronging pictures run 

What joy the vision fills — 
The star-glow and the setting sun 

Amid the northern hills. 

Benjamin F. Leggett. 



175 



€bt 



hook, or " children's point." Passing Bronk's Island, due 
west of which empties Coxsackie Creek, we see Stuyvesant 
fpUD0On Light-house on our right, and approach New Baltimore, 
*^ r, a pleasant village on the west bank, with sloop and barge 

l»\IUtV industry. About a mile above the landing is the meet- 

ing point of four counties: Greene and Albany on the 
west, Columbia and Rensselaer on the east. Beeren Island, 
connected with Coeyman's Landing by small steamer, 
now a picnic resort, lies near the west bank, where it 
will be remembered the first white child was born on the 
Hudson. Here was the Castle of Rensselaertein, before 
which Antony Van Corlear read again and again the 
proclamation of Peter Stuyvesant, and from which he 
returned with a diplomatic reply, forming one of the 
most humorous chapters in Irving's " Knickerbocker." 
Threading our way through low-lying islands and river 
flats, and " slowing down " occasionally on meeting canal 
boats or other river craft, we pass Coeyman's on our 
left and Lower Schodack Island on our right, due east 
of which is the station of Schodack Landing. The writer 
of this handbook remembers distinctly a winter's evening 
walk from Schodack Landing, crossing the frozen Hudson 
and snow-covered island on an ill-defined trail. He was 
on his way to deliver his first lecture, February, 1868, 
and his subject was " The Legends and Poetry of the 
Hudson." Since that time he has written and re-written 
many guides to the river, so that the present handbook 
'^ not a thing of yesterday. The next morning, on his 
return to Schodack, he had for his companion a young 
man from twenty or thirty miles inland, who had never 
seen a train of cars except in the distance. On reach- 
ing the railway, one of the New York expresses swept 
by, and as he caught the motion of the bell cord he 
turned and said: "Do they drive it with that little 
string?" Lower Schodack Island, Mills Plaat (also an 
island) and Upper Schodack Island reach almost to — 
Castleton, a pleasant village on the eastern bank, with 



i ^ No spot in all the world where poetry and romance 

are so closely blended with the heroic in history as 
along the banks of our Hudson. 

Wallace Brace. 



i 



li)uD0on 



main street lying close to the river. The cliffs, a few ^|)C 
miles to the north, were known to the Indians as Scoti-ack, 
or place of the ever-burning council-fire, which gave the 
name of Schodack to the township, where King Aepgin, l|\{\30t 
on the 8th of April, 1680, sold to Van Rensselaer "all 
that tract of country on the west side of the Hudson, 
extending from Beeren Island up to Smack's Island, and 
in breadth two days' journey." 

The Mahican Tribe originally occupied all the east 
bank of the Hudson north of Roeliffe Jansen's Kill, near 
Germantown, to the head waters of the Hudson; and on 
the west bank, from Cohoes to Catskill. The town of 
Schodack was central, and a signal displayed from the 
hills near Castleton could be seen for thirty miles in 
every direction. After the Mahicans left the Hudson, 
they went to Westenhook, or Housatonic, to the hills 
south of Stockb ridge; and then, on invitation of the 
Oneidas, removed to Oneida County, in 1785, where they 
lived until 1821, when, with other Indians of New York, 
they purchased a tract of land near Fox River, Minnesota. 

Domestic clans or families of the Mahicans lingered 
around their ancient seats for some years after the close 
of the Revolution, but of them, one after another, it is 
written, " They disappeared in the night." In the lan- 
guage of Tamerund at the death of Uncas, " The pale- 
faces are masters of the earth, and the time of the red 
men has not yet come again. My day has been too long. 
In the morning I saw the sons of Unami happy and 
strong; and yet before the night has come, have I lived 
to see the last warrior of the race of the Mahicans." 

According to Ruttenber, the names and location of the 
Indian tribes were not ascertained with clearness by the 
early Dutch settlers, but through documents, treaties 
and information, subsequently obtained, it is now settled 
that the Mahicans held possession " under sub-tribal 
organizations" of the east bank of the river from an 
undefined point north of Albany to the sea, including Long 

Xwtiimn had given uniformity of coloring to the woods. _ 

It varied now between copper and gold, and shone like 1 / / 

an infinitely rich golden embroidery on the Indian veil 
of mist which rested upon the heights along the Hudson. 

Harriet Martineau. 



^uD0on 



Island; that their dominion extended east to the Con- 
necticut, where they joined kindred tribes; that on the 
west bank of the Hudson they ran down as far as 
Catskill, and west to Schenectady; that they were met 
on the west by the territory of the Mohawks, and on 
the south by tribes of the Lenni Lenapes or Delawares, 
whose territory extended thence to the sea, and west to 
and beyond the Delaware River. The Mahicans had a 
castle at Catskill and at Cohoes Falls. The western 
side of the Hudson, above Cohoes, belonged to the Mo- 
hawks, a branch of the Iroquois. Therefore, as early as 
1630, three great nations were represented on the Hud- 
son — 

The Mahicans, the Delawares and the Iroquois. The 
early French missionaries refer to the " nine nations of 
Manhinyans, gathered between Manhattan and the en- 
virons of Quebec." These several nations have never 
been accurately designated, although certain general 
divisions appear under the titles of Mohegan, Wappinger, 
Sequins, etc. " The government of the Mahicans was a 
democracy. The office was hereditary by the lineage of 
the wife; that is, the selection of a successor on the 
death of the chief, was confined to the female branch 
of the family." According to Ruttenber, the precise 
relation between the Mahicans of the Hudson and the 
Mohegans under Uncas, the Pequot chief, is not known. 
In a foot-note to this statement, he says : " The identity 
of name between the Mahicans and Mohegans, induces 
the belief that all these tribes belonged to the same stock, 
— although they differed in dialect, in territory, and in 
their alliances." The two words, therefore, must not be 
confounded. 

It is also pleasant to remember that the Mahicans as 
a tribe were true and faithful to us during the war of 
the Revolution, and when the six nations met in council 
at Oswego, at the request of Guy Johnson and other 
officers of the British army, "to eat the flesh and drink 



178 



Round about the Indian villaqe 
Spread the meadows and the cornfields, 
Stood the groves of singing pine trees. 
And beyond them stood the forest, 

Henry W. Longfellow. 



the blood of a Bostonian," Hendrick, the Mahican, made 
the pledge for his tribe at Albany, almost in the eloquent 
words of Ruth to Naomi, " Thy people shall be our people, 
and whither thou goest we will be at your side." 

The Mourdener's Kill, with its sad story of a girl tied 
by Indians to a horse and dragged through the valley, 
flows into the Hudson above Castleton. Two miles above 
this near the steamer channel will be seen Staats Island on 
the east, with an old stone house, said to be next in an- 
tiquity to the old Van Rensselaer House, opposite Albany. 
It is also a fact that this property passed directly to the 
ancestors of the present family, the only property in this 
vicinity never owned by the lord of the manor. Opposite 
the old stone house, the point on the west bank is known 
as Parda Hook, where it is said a horse was once 
drowned in a horse-race on the ice, and hence the name 
Parda, for the old Hollanders along the Hudson seemed 
to have had a musical ear, and delighted in accumulating 
syllables. (The word pard is used in Spenser for spotted 
horse, and still survives in the word leopard.) 

The Castleton Bar or " overslaugh," as it was known 
by the river pilots, impeded for years navigation in low 
water. Commodore Van Santvoord and other prominent 
citizens brought the subject before the State legislature, 
and work was commenced in 1863. In 1868 the United 
States Government very properly (as their jurisdiction 
extends over tide-water), assumed the completing of the 
dykes, which now stretch for miles along the banks and 
islands of the upper Hudson. Here and there along our 
route between Coxsackie and Albany will be seen great 
dredges deepening and widening the river channel. The 
plan provides for a system of longitudinal dykes to 
confine the current sufficiently to allow the ebb and 
flow of the tidal-current to keep the channel clear. These 
dykes are to be gradually brought nearer together from 
New Baltimore toward Troy, so as to assist the entrance 
of the flood-current and increase its height. 



CJ)e 



Where Hudson winds his silver way 
And murmurs at the tardy stay, 
Impatient at delay. 

William Crow. 



17» 



^uD0on 



The engineers report that the greater part of the 
material carried in suspension in the Hudson river above 
Albany is believed to come from the Mohawk river, and 
its tributary the Schoharie river, while the sands and 
gravel that form the heavy and obstinate bars near 
Albany and chiefly between Albany and Troy, come from 
the upper Hudson. 

The discharge of the Hudson between Troy and Albany 
at its lowest stage may be taken at about 3,000 cubic 
feet per second. The river supply, therefore, during that 
stage is inadequate in the upper part of the river for 
navigation, independent of tidal flow. 

The greatest number of bars is between Albany and 
Troy, where the channel is narrow, and at least six 
obstructing bars, composed of fine and coarse gravel and 
coarse and fine sand, are in existence. In many places 
between Albany and Troy the navigable depth is reduced 
to 7^ feet by the presence of these bars. 

From Albany to New Baltimore the depths are variable, 
the prevailing depth being 10 feet and over, with pools 
of greater depth separated by long cross-over bars, over 
which the greatest depth does not exceed 9 or 10 feet. 
Passing many delightful homes on the west bank and 
the mouth of the Norman's Kill (Indian name Ta-wa- 
sentha, place of many dead) and the Convent of the 
Sacred Heart, we see Dow's Point on the east and above 
this the — 

Van Rensselaer Place, with its port holes on either side 
of the door facing the river, showing that it was built 
in troublesome times. It is the oldest of the Patroon 
manor houses, built in 1640 or thereabouts. It has been 
said that the adaptation of the old tune now knowni as 
" Yankee Doodle " was made near the well in the grounds 
of the Van Rensselaer Place by Dr. Richard Shuckberg, 
who was connected with the British army when the 
Colonial troops from New England marched into camp 
at Albany to join the British regulars on their way to 



180 



When life is old 
And many a scene I'orgot the heart will hold 
its memory of this. 

fitz-GTccne Hall,- 



fight the French. The tune was known in New England ^Tft^ 
before the Revolution as " Lydia Fisher's Jig," a name 
derived from a famous lady who lived in the reign of iPUOSOll 
Charles II, and which has been perpetuated in the fol- TRfVirr 

lowing rhyme: 

Lucy Locket lost her pocket, 

Lydia Fisher found it ; 
Not a bit of money in it. 

Only binding 'round it. 

The appearance of the troops called down the derision 
of the British officers, the hit of the doctor became known 
throughout the army, and the song was used as a method 
of showing contempt for the Colonials until after Lexing- 
ton and Concord. 

Rensselaer, on the east bank of the river, was incor- 
porated in 1896 by the union of Greenbush and East 
Albany. The old name of Greenbush, which still survives 
in East Greenbush, four miles distant, was given to it 
by the old Dutch settlers, and it was probably a " green- 
bushed " place in early days. Now pleasant residences 
and villas look out upon the river from the near bank 
and distant hillsides. Two railroad bridges and a car- 
riage bridge cross the Hudson at this point. During the 
French war in 1775, Greenbush was a military rendezvous, 
and in 1812 the United States Government established 
extensive barracks, whence troops were forwarded to 
Canada. 

Albany, 144 miles from New York. {New York Central 
& Hudson River Railroad, Boston & Albany, West Shore, 
Delaware and Hudson, the Hudson River Day Line 
and People's Line.) Its site was called by the Indians 
Shaunaugh-ta-da (Schenectady), or the Pine Plains. It 
was next known by the early Dutch settlers as " Bever- 
wyck," "William Stadt," and "New Orange." The seat 
of the State Government was transferred from New York 
to Albany in 1798. In 1714, when 100 years old, it had 



I wandered afar from the land of my birth, 
I saw the old rivers renowned upon earth, 
But fancy still painted that wide-Howinp; stream 
With the many-hued pencil of infancy's dream. 

Oliver Wendell Holmes, 



im 



Cfte 
Eliber 



a population of about 3,000, one-sixth of whom were slaves. 
In 1786 it increased to about 10,000. In 1676, the city com- 
prised within the limits of Pearl, Beaver and Steuben 
streets, was surrounded by wooden walls with six gates. 
They were 13 feet high, made of timber a foot square. 
It is said that a portion of these walls were remaining 
in 1812. The first railroad in the State and the second 
in the United States was opened from Albany to Schenec- 
tady in 1831. The pictures of these old coaches are 
very amusing, and the rate of speed was only a slight 
improvement on a well-organized stage line. From an 
old book in the State Library we condense the following 
description, presenting quite a contrast to the city of 
to-day: "Albany lay stretched along the banks of the 
Hudson, on one very wide and long street, parallel to 
the Hudson. The space between the street and the river 
bank was occupied by gardens. A small but steep hill 
rose above the centre of the town, on which stood a 
fort. The wide street leading to the fort (now Stale 
street) had a Market-Place, Guard-House, Town Hall, 
and an English and Dutch Church, in the centre." 

Tourists and others will be amply repaid in visiting the 
new Capitol building, at the head of State Street. It is 
open from nine in the morning until six in the evening. 
It is said to be larger than the Capitol at Washington, 
and cost more than any other structure on the American 
continent. The staircases, the wide corridors, the Senate 
chamber, the Assembly chamber, and the Court of Appeals 
room, attest the wealth and greatness of the Empire 
State. The visitor up State Street will note the beautiful 
and commanding spire of " St. Paul." The Cathedral is 
also a grand structure. The population of Albany is 
now 100,000, and its growth is due to three causes: First, 
the Capitol was removed from New York to Albany in 
1798. Then followed two great enterprises, ridiculed at 
the time by every one as the Fulton Folly and Clinton's 
Ditch — in other words, steam navigation, 1807, and the 



182 



Canals, long winding, ope a watery flight. 
And distant streams and seas and lakes unite; 
From fair Albania toward the fading sun. 
Back through the midland lengthening channels run. 

Joel Barlow. 



Erie Canal, 1825. Its name was given in honor of the 
Duke of Albany, although it is still claimed by some of 
the oldest inhabitants that, in the golden age of those 
far-off times, when the good old burghers used to ask 
for the welfare of their neighbors, the answer was "All 
bonnie," and hence the name of the hill-crowned city. 

To condense from H. P. Phelps's careful handbook of 
"Albany and the Capitol:" in 1614 a stockaded trading- 
house was erected on an island below the city, well de- 
fended for trading with the Indians. In 1617 another was 
built on the hill, near Norman's Kill. The West Indian 
Company erected a fort in 1623 near the present landing 
of the Day Line. In 1664 the province fell into the hands 
of the English and the name was changed to Albany. In 
1686 it was incorporated into a city. It was the meeting 
place of the Constitutional Congress 1754, the proposed 
Constitution of which, however, was never ratified. Wash- 
ington visited it in 1783. The Erie Canal was opened 
in 1825, a railroad to Schenectady in 1832, the Hudson 
River in 1851, a consolidated road to Buffalo in 1853, 
and the Susquehanna Railroad to Binghamton in 1869. 
State Street at one time was said to be the widest city 
thoroughfare in the country, after Pennsylvania Avenue 
in Washington. The English and Dutch Churches and 
other public buildings, once in the midst of it, but long 
since removed, account for its extra width. The State 
Capitol has a commanding site. The old Capitol building 
was completed in 1808. The corner-stone of the present 
building was laid June 24, 1871, and it has been occupied 
^ince January 7, 1879. According to Phelps, " the size 
of the structure impresses the beholder at once. It is 
300 feet north and south by 400 feet east and west, and 
with the porticoes will cover three acres and seven square 
feet. The walls are 108 feet high from the water-table, 
and all this worked out of solid granite brought, most 
of it, from Hallowell, Me. 

The impression produced varies with various persons. 



Cfte 
!S)uli0on 



Nor let the dear love of its children grow cold 
Till the channel is dry where its waters have rolled. 
Oliver Wendell Holmes. 



83 



dhC ^"^ accomplished writer finds it " not unlike that made 

by the photographs of those gigantic structures in the 
ipUDj50n northern and eastern parts of India, which are seen tn 
?1?fVirr ^^^^ series on the walls of the South Kensington, and by 

*^*^ their barbaric profusion of ornamentation and true mag- 

nificence of design give the stay-at-home Briton some faint 
inkling of the empire which has invested his queen with 
another and more high-sounding title. Yet when close 
at hand the building does not bear out this connection 
with Indian architecture of the grand style; it might 
be mere chance that at a distance there is a similarity; 
or it may be that the smallness of size in the decorations 
as compared to the structure itself explains fully why 
there is a tendency to confuse the eye by the number 
of projections, arches, pillars, shallow recesses, and what- 
not, which variegate the different facades. The confusion 
is not entirely displeasing; it gives a sense of unstinted 
riches, and represents the spirit that has reared the pile." 
The Governor's room, the golden corridor, the Senate 
staircase, the Senate chamber, the Assembly chamber, and 
the Court of Appeals room are interesting alike for their 
architectural stone work, decorations and general finish. 
The State Library, dating from 1818, contains about 
150,000 volumes. The Clinton papers, including Andre's 
documents captured at Tarrytown, are the most interest- 
ing of many valuable manuscripts. Here also are a 
sword and pistol once belonging to General Washington, 
The Museum of Military Records and Relics contains 
over 800 battle flags of State regiments, with several 
ensigns captured from the enemy. Near the Capitol are 
the State Hall and City Hall, and on the right, descend- 
ing State Street, the Geological Hall, well worthy an 
extended visit. The present St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 
third upon the site, is of Schenectady blue stone with 
brown trimmings. Its tower contains " a chime of eleven 
bells and another bell marked 1751, which is used only 
to ring in the new year." Washington Park, consisting 



184 



No wonder that his countrymen today, led by the 
Congress of this Rreat Republic, celebrate the trans- 
action and the scene where Washington refused to ac- 
cent a crown. 

William M. Evarts. 




;a] 



ill 

(ft 



k 




of eighty acres and procured at a cost of one million 
dollars, reached by a pleasant drive or by electric rail- 
way, is a delightful resort. It is noted for its grand 
trees, artistic walks and floral culture. Several fine 
statues are also worthy of mention, notably that of Robert 
Burns (Charles Calverley, sculptor), erected by money 
left for this purpose by Mrs. McPherson, under the careful 
and tasteful supervision of one of Albany's best-known 
citizens, Mr. Peter Kinnear. A view from Washington 
Park takes in the Catskills and the Helderberg Mountains. 

And now, while waiting to " throw out the plank," 
which puts a period to our Hudson River division, we 
feel like congratulating ourselves that the various goblins 
which once infested the river have become civilized, that 
the winds and tides have been conquered, and that the 
nine-day voyage of Hendrick Hudson and the " Half 
Moon " has been reduced to the nine-hour system of the 
Hudson River Day Line. 

Those who have traveled over Europe will certainly 
appreciate the quiet luxury of an American steamer; and 
this first introduction to American scenery will always 
charm the tourist from other lands. No single day's 
journey in any land or on any stream can present such 
variety, interest, and beauty, as the trip of one hundred 
and forty-four miles from New York to Albany. The 
Hudson is indeed a goodly volume, with its broad covers 
of green lying open on either side; and it might in truth 
be called a condensed history, for there is no other place 
in our country where poetry and romance are so strangely 
blended with the heroic and the historic,— no river where 
the waves of different civilizations have left so many 
waifs upon the banks. It is classic ground, from the 
" wilderness to the sea," and will always be the poets' 
corner of our country: the home of Irving, Willis, and 
Morris, — of Fulton, Morse, and Field, — of Cole, Audubon, 
and Church, — and of scores besides, whose names are 
household words. 



The Hudson's cable-tow of yore 

Bound gallant sire and sturdy son 
With hearty grasp from shore to shore 

For Robert Burns and Washington. 

Wallace Bruce. 



185 



10uD0on 



^uD0on 

KiHet THE UPPER HUDSON. 



Albany to Saratoga. 
Delaware and Hudson Railway. 



A pleasant tour awaits the traveler who continues his 
journey north from Albany, where the Delaware and 
Hudson train for Saratoga is ready at the landing on 
the arrival of the stieamer. A half hour's run along the 
west bank gives us a glimpse of Troy across the river 
with the classical iiamed hills Mount Ida and Mount 
Olympus. Two streams^ the Poestenkill and the Wynant's 
Kill, approach the river on the east bank through narrow 
ravines, and furnish' excellent water power. In the year 
1786 it was called Fe'rryhook. In 1787, Rensselaerwyck. 
In the fall of' 1787 the settlers began to use the name of 
Vanderheyden, after the family who owned a great part 
of the ground - where the city now stands. January 9, 
1789 the freeholders of the town met and gave it the 
name of Troy. The " Hudson," the "Erie," and the 
" Champlain " Canals have contributed to its growth. The 
city, with many busy towns, which have sprung up around 
it — Cohoes, Lansingburg, Waterford, etc., is central to a 
population of at least 100,000 people. The Rensselaer 
Polytechnic Institute, the oldest engineering school in 
America, has a national reputation. 

Cohoes, where the Mohawk joins the Hudson, has one|wa 
of the finest water powers in the country. Its name is 
of Indian origin and signifies " the island at the falls." 
This was the division line between the Mahicans and the 
Mohawks, and when the water is in full force it suggests 
in graceful curve and sweep a miniature Niagara. The 

186 Oh, be my falls as bright as thine! 

May heaven's relenting rainbow shine 
Upon the mist that circles me. 
As soft as now it hangs o'er thee ! 

Thomas Moore 



view from the double-truss iron bridge (960 feet in ^1*^ 
length), looking up or down the Mohawk, is impressive. ^ 

Passing through Waterford, and Mechanicville which I^UD^OH 
lies partly in the township of Stillwater, with its historic ^ ,. 
records of Bemis Heights and burial place of Ellsworth, *i^I'J^'' 
the first martyr of the Civil war, we come to- 
Round Lake, nineteen miles north of Troy, and thir- 
teen south of Saratoga, near a beautiful sheet of water, 
three miles in circumference, called by the Indians Ta- 
nen-da-ho-wa, which interpreted, signifies Round Lake. 
The camp-meeting and assembly grounds consist of 200 
acres. The air is pure and invigorating and the grove 
and cottages inviting. The drives in the vicinity are 
delightful to Saratoga Lake, to the Hudson River, to 
the historic battlefields of Bemis Heights and Stillwater. 
Ballston Spa, thirty-one miles from Albany, is the 
county seat of Saratoga. Here are several well-known 
mineral springs, with chemical properties similar to the 
springs of Saratoga. Over ninety years ago Benjamin 
Douglas, father of Hon. Stephen A. Douglas, built a log 
house, near the " Old Spring," for the accommodation ol 
invalids and travelers, and at one time it looked as if 
Saratoga would have a vigorous rival at her very doors; 
but its hotel glory has departed and the old " Sans Souci " 
of the days of Washington Irving is a thing of the past. 
Saratoga, thirty-eight miles north of Albany, one hun- 
dred and eighty-two miles from New York, is the greatest 
watering place of the continent. Its development has 
been wonderful, and puts, as it were, in large italics, 
the prosperity of our country. The first white man to 
visit the place was Sir William Johnson, who, in 1767. 
was conveyed there by his Mohawk friends, in the hope 
that the waters might afford relief from the serious 
effects of a gunshot wound in the thigh, received eight 
years before in the battle of Lake George, at which time 
his army defeated the French legions under Baron 
Dieskau. It was not until the year 1773, six years after 



A gallant army formed their last array 
Upon that field, in silence and deep gloom, 

And at their conqueror's feet, 

Laid their war-weapons down. 

Fitz- Greene Halleck. 



187 



Cfte 

!L)uD0on 

KiDcr 



Sir William Johnson's initial visit, that the first clearing 
was made and the first cabin erected by Derick Scowten. 
Owing, however, to misunderstandings with his red neigh- 
bors, he shortly afterwards left. A year later, George 
Arnold, from Rhode Island, took possession of the vacated 
Scowten House, and conducted it with some degree of 
success for about two years. Arnold was in turn followed 
by Samuel Norton, who failed to make the venture suc- 
cessful, owing to the outbreak of the Revolution. Norton 
was succeeded in 1783 by his son, who sold out in 1787 
to Gideon Morgan, who, in the same year, made the 
property over to Alexander Bryan. Bryan became the 
first permanent settler after the close of the war. The 
prosperity of the village began in 1789, with the advent 
of Gideon Putnam, but the wooden inns and hotels of 
1830, which seemed palatial in those days, would get 
lost even in one of the parlors of the mammoth hotels 
which now line the main street of the village. Chief 
among these hotels, we mention the — 

" United States," a grand and princely building of 
noble frontage with a bright and spacious interior court, 
completed in June, 1874. It constitutes one continuous 
line of buildings, six stories high, over fifteen hundred 
feet in length, containing nine hundred and seventeen 
rooms for guests, and is the largest hotel in the world. 

The American-Adelphi near at hand, also fronting 
Broadway, always cheery and delightful under the man- 
agement of its popular owner and proprietor, Mr. George 
A. Farnham, has one of the finest locations in Saratoga, 
combining comfort, good attention, a fine table, and 
every convenience of a first-class house. One thing is 
sure, those who go to the " American " return again and 
again. 

The Speedway, the Race Track, and Driveways. — 
Saratoga can justly feel proud of her material growth 
and progress in many directions during the last decade, 
and prominent among her varied attractions are the 



88 



And boyhood's love and fireside-listened tales 
Are rushinR on your memories, as ye breathe 

That valley's storied name, — 

Field of the Grounded Arms. 

Fitz- Greene Halleck. 



Speedway and Race Track. Mr. W. C. Whitney and many JTh^ 
other prominent men have contributed liberally in this 
direction. The Electric Line to Saratoga Lake is also ipUU^Ott 
one of the features of the village, and furnishes a delight- Tf? fVigr 
ful forenoon or afternoon's outing. 

The Springs.— The most prominent springs in and 
about Saratoga are the Hathorn, the Patterson and the 
Congress. The popularity of the Hathorn is attested by 
the universal sale of its bottled waters throughout the 
United States. The Patterson has won a wide reputa- 
tion which its excellence deserves. 

Historic Saratoga. — But in the midst of this throbbing, 
gay and delightful Saratoga, we must not forget that 
it was here the fathers of the Republic achieved their 
most decisive victory. The battle was fought in the town 
of Stillwater, at Bemis Heights, two and a half miles 
from the Hudson. The defeat of St. Leger and the 
triumph of Stark at Bennington filled the American army 
with hope. Burgoyne's army advanced September 19, 
1777. The battle was sharply contested. At night the 
Americans retired into their camp, and the British held 
the field. From September 20th to October 7th the 
armies looked each other in the face, each side satisfied 
from the first day's struggle that their opponents were 
worthy foemen. The Americans had retaken Ticonderoga 
and Lake George. Burgoyne had no place to retreat, and 
the lines were slowly but surely closing in around him. 
October 7th Burgoyne commenced the battle, but in half 
an hour his line was broken. He attempted to rally his 
troops in person, but they could not stand before the 
impetuous charge of the Americans. He was compelled 
to order a full retreat, and fell back on the heights above 
Schuylerville. The Americans surrounded him, and he 
surrendered. It was a decisive victory, and cheered the 
friends of freedom, not only in America, but in the Eng- 
lish House of Commons. 

Mount McGregor, where General Grant died, associates 

189 

The leaves were red with crimson 

And then brave Gates did cry, 
'Tis diamond now cut diamond. 

We'll beat them boys or die. 

Ballads of the Revolution. 



Cfte 



the Saratoga of the Revolution with the story of our 
Civil War. Near the monument to the old heroes at 
Schuylerville, where Burgoyne surrendered, a monument 
to the Boys in Blue was dedicated in 1904, It was the 
privilege of the writer to be the poet of the occasion, 
and in his lines "The Flag They Bore," to bind the noble 
memorials of those who made and those who saved the 
Republic. 

Two monuments in triumph stand 

To catch with joy the morning sun, 
One chorus joins them hai.d in hand — 

Heroes of Grant and Washington. 

And wider yet the chorus leaps ! 

Two famous hills the song unites, 
As Mount MacGregor's anthem sweeps 

Across the plains to Bemis Heights. 

In Nathaniel Bartlett Sylvester's book, entitled " His- 
torical Sketches of Northern New York and the Adiron- 
dack Wilderness," we learn that the earliest date in which 
the word Saratoga appears in history is 1684, and was 
then the name of an old hunting ground on both sides 
of the Hudson. Its interpretations have been various. 
Some say "The Hillside Country of the Great River;" 
others, the place of swift waters, while Morgan, in his 
" League of the Iroquois," says the signification of Sara- 
toga is lost. 

Whatever the origin of the name whether from the 
old High Rock spring or a " reach of the river," one thing 
is sure: Saratoga is the most attractive point in the 
country as a gathering place for conventions and large 
meetings, and, in response to the growing demand for 
adequate facilities, a splendid convention hall, with a 
seating capacity for five thousand people, has been 
erected by the town authorities. It is a striking archi- 
tectural addition to Saratoga's attractions. 

In 1907 over fifty thousand " Knights " gathered here 
and were hospitably entertained. 

And such were Saratoga's victors — such 
iyO The yeoman-brave, whose deeds and death have given 

A glory to her skies, 
A music to her name. 

Fitz-Greene Halleck. 



Saratoga to the Adirondacks. 

The Adirondack Raihvay division of the Delaivare and 
Hudson furnishes one of the pleasantest excursions to 
the north woods. The traveler passes along the romantic 
and picturesque valley of the upper Hudson — through 
King's, South Corinth, Jessup's Landing to Hadley (the 
railroad station for Luzerne, a charming village at the 
junction of the Hudson and the Sacandaga) ; then through 
Stony Creek, Thurman, thirty-six miles from Saratoga 
Springs, at the junction of the Schroon and the Hudson; 
the Glen, forty-four miles; Riverside, fifty miles (for 
Schroon Lake), pleasurable throughout, to North Creek, 
where " Concord coaches " and patent-covered spring buck- 
boards are in waiting for Blue Mountain Lake — distance 
about thirty miles, through a beautiful romantic country. 

The water route from this point is as follows: Through 
Blue Mountain Lake and Utowana to the outlet, a dis- 
tance of seven miles, where a " Railway Carry," some- 
thing less than a mile, brings the traveler to a fairy-like 
steamer on Marion River. The river trip is twelve miles 
to Forked Lake. 

Arriving at " Forked Lake Carry," one-half mile brings 
us to Forked Lake, where the traveler gets his first real 
mountain bill of fare. From this point we took a guide 
to Long Lake. There is a short cut from this point over 
to the Tupper Lakes, which we can commend in every 
particular, and the tourist can either return to Long 
Lake and continue his route to the Saranacs, or go to the 
Saranacs direct from Lake Tupper. 

From this point we visit Keene Flats, a charming and 
healthful spot, only five miles from the " Lower Ausable 
Pond." These ponds, the "Lower" and "Upper," are 
unrivaled in beauty and grandeur. They lie at the foot 
of Mount Marcy, Haystack, the Gothics, and Mount 
Bartlett. 



Cfte 
lDu»0on 



'Twas in the mellow autumn time 
When I, an idler from the town, 
With gun and rod was lured to climb 
Those peaks where fresh the Hudson takes 
His tribute from an hundred lakes. 

Charles Fenno Hoffman. 



191 



Cfte 
^uD0on 



Saratoga to Lake George. 

The traveler will find trains and excursions to suit 
his convenience from Saratoga to our fairest lake. His 
route takes him through Gansevoort and Fort Edward 
to Glens Falls with the narrowing and bright-flowing 
Hudson for a companion. About one mile beyond Fort 
Edward Station, near the railway on the right, stood, 
until recently, the tree where Jane McCrea was murdered 
by Indians during the Revolution. From Glens Falls 
the tourist proceeds over the well-conducted Lake George 
division of the Delaware and Hudson, and soon finds him- 
self in the midst of a historic and romantic region. About 
lialf way to the lake stands a monument to Col. Ephraim 
Williams, killed at the battle of Lake George in 1755, 
erected by the graduates of Williams College, which he 
founded. Bloody Pond, a little farther on, sleeps calm 
and blue in the sunlight in spite of its tragic name and 
associations, and soon Lake George, girt-round by moun- 
tains, greets our vision, stretching away in beauty to the 
north. 

Near the railway station on the ninth of September) 
1903, a monument was unveiled commemorating the battle 
of Lake George one hundred and forty-eight years before. 
The monument embodies the heroic figures of Sir 
William Johnson and King Hendrick the Indian chief. 
It represents the Indian chief demonstrating to General 
Johnson the futility of dividing his forces. Governor 
Odell of New York, Governor Guild of Massachusetts 
Governor Chamberlain of Connecticut, and Governor Mc- 
Culloch of Vermont and others delivered appropriate 
addresses. 

The Trossachs of America. — Capt. Wm. R. Lord, author 
of " Reminiscences of a Sailor," in a recent article con 
tributed to a Scottish paper, has happily called Lake 
George and its surroundings "The Trossachs of America.*: 



192 



The early fragmentf? of our Colonial poetry and Revo- 
lutionary ballads are chanted in the midst of such pro- 
found silence and loneliness that they sound spectrally 
to our ears. 

n.iv.ir.l T.ivlnr 



In writing of the autumn season he says : " Its similarity gTfir 

to the Trossachs of Scotland impresses one most vividly 

as seen at this season; the mountains are clothed in 1^1100011 

a garb, the prevailing color of which is purple, reminding rfJfyijrf 

me of a previous visit through the Scottish Highlands *^*'^*' 

when the heather was in full bloom. I at that time 

felt it to be impossible that any other place on the face 

of the globe could equal the magnificently imposing 

grandeur of the 'Trossachs.' I must, however, freely admit 

that in its power of changing beauty this region of 

America fully equals, if it does not surpass it. Deeds 

of * derring-do,' enacted in these mountain fastnesses in 

days gone by, still add to make the comparison more 

close. Our path at times seemed to be literally strewn 

with roses, for the different colored leaves that carpeted 

our way conveyed that thought. The depth and variegated 

beauty of coloring that marks this season of decaying 

foliage, would enrapture the heart of an artist. In my 

vocation I have had occasion to visit the four quarters 

of the globe, but never have I seen tints so strikingly 

beautiful." 

Lake George, called by the French " Lac St. Sacra- 
ment," was discovered by Father Jacques, who passed 
through it in 1646, on his way to the Iroquois, by whom 
he was afterward tortured and burned. It is thirty-six 
miles long by three miles broad. Its elevation is two 
hundred and forty-three feet above the sea. The waters 
are of remarkable transparency; romantic islands dot its 
surface, and elegant villas line its shores. Fort William 
Henry and Ticonderoga, situated at either end of the lake, 
were the salients respectively of the two most powerful 
nations upon the globe. France and England sent great 
armies, which crossed each other's track upon the ocean, 
the one entering the St. Lawrence, the other the harbor 
of New York. Their respective colonies sent their thous- 
ands to swell the number of trained troops, while tribes 
of red men from the south and the north were marshalled 

The progress of that October month had been like 193 

the stately march of an Orient army, with all the 
splendor of blazing banners. It looked as though the 
glories of the sunset had been distilled into it decked 
with the glowing hues of crimson, scarlet and gold. 
John Henry Brandow. 



2rh0 ^^ civilized genius to meet in hostile array upon these 

waters, around the walls of the forts, and at the base 

ipUD0On of the hills. In 1755, General Johnston reached Lake 

|T^|V]£r ^*- Sacrament, to which he gave the name of Lake George, 

" not only in honor of his Majesty, but to assert his 

undoubted dominion here." 

The village of Lake George is situated at the head of 
the lake. It contains two churches, a court house, and 
a number of pretty residences. Just behind the court 
house is the bay where Montcalm landed his cannon, and 
where his entrenchments began. It ran across the street 
to the rising ground beyond the Episcopal church. 

Fort William Henry Hotel is the largest and best ap- 
pointed hotel on Lake George. It has a most beautiful 
and commanding location, and the view from its great 
piazza is one long to be remembered. The piazza is 
twenty-four feet in width and supported by a row of 
Corinthian columns thirty feet high. The outlook from 
it at all times is enchanting, commanding as it does the 
level reaches of the lake for miles, with picturesque 
islands and promontories. 

About twelve miles from the hotel is Fourteen-mile 
Island which, with a number of others, form " The Nar- 
rows." The lake here is 400 feet deep, much fishing 
is done, and in the right season hunting parties start 
out. Black Mountain, the monarch of the lake, rises 
over two thousand feet above its waters (being 2,661 
feet above tide) , and from the summit a magnificent view 
is obtained of Lake Champlain, the Green Mountains, the 
Adirondacks, and the distant course of the Hudson. 

A carriage drive to Schroon Lake and conveyance from 
Schroon Village to Adirondack resorts can be made from 
Lake George. 

Those w^ho have only a day can make a delightful 
excursion from Saratoga to Caldwell by rail, then through 
the lake to Baldwin, and thence by rail to Saratoga, or 
via Baldwin and up the lake to Caldwell, and so to Sara- 



194 



Oh the mystical glory that crowns theiti 

Reflected in river and lake, 
Like a fire that burns through the firs and ferns 

By the paths that the wild deer take. 

Eben E. Rexford. 



toga. But, to get the full beauty of this unrivaled lake, 
the trip should be made with less haste, for there is 
no more delightful place in the world to spend a week, 
a month, or an entire summer. Its immediate surround- 
ings present much to interest the student of history and 
legend; and to lovers of the beautiful it acknowledges 
no rivals. The elevation and absolute purity of air make 
it a desirable place for the tourist. It is 346 feet above 
the level of the sea, 247 feet above Lake Champlain, 
and is now brought within six hours of New York City 
by the enterprise of the Delaware & Hudson Co. It is 
a great question, and we talk it over every time we see 
the genial Passenger Traffic Manager of this enterprising 
line, whether Lake George or Lake Luzerne, in Switzer- 
land, is the more beautiful. We were just deciding last 
summer, on the steamer *' Horicon," that Lake George 
was more beautiful, but not so wild, when, as if the 
spirit of the lake were roused, a great black squall sud- 
denly came over the mountains, and, the "crystal lake" 
for a few minutes, was as wild as any one might desire. 
We all were glad to see her smile again as she did half 
an hour afterward in the bright sunlight. 

"At its widest point Lake George measures about four 
miles, but at other places it is less than one mile in 
width. It is dotted with islands; how many we do not 
know exactly — nobody does; but tradition, which passes 
among the people of the district for history and truth, 
says there is exactly one island for every day in the 
year, or 365 in all. Whatever their real number they 
all are beautiful, although some of them are barely large 
enough to support a flagstaff, and they all seem to fit 
into the scene so thoroughly that each one seems neces- 
sary to complete the charm. On either side are high 
hills, in some places rising gently from the shores, and 
in others beetling up from the surface of the water 
with a rugged cliff, or time-worn mass of rocks, which 



Cfte 



Each islet of green which the bright waters hold 
Like emeralds fresh from their bosom rolled. 

Charles Fenno Hoffman. 



195 



reminds one of the wild bits of rocky scenery that make 
up the savage beauty of the Isle of Skye. 

" Its clearness is something extraordinary. From a small 
boat, in many places, the bottom can be seen. Indeed, 
so mysteriously beautiful is the water that many visitors 
spend a day in a rowboat gazing into it at different 
points." 

Charles Dudley Warner says : " Bolton, among a host 
of attractive spots on the lake, holds, in my opinion, 
a rank among the two or three most interesting points. 
There is no point of Lake George where the views are 
so varied or more satisfactory, excepting the one from 
Sabbath-day Point. At Bolton the islets which dot the 
surface of the lake whose waters are blue as the sea in 
the tropics, carry the eye to the rosy-tinted range which 
includes Pilot, Buck and Erebus Mountains, and cul- 
minates in the stateliness of Black Mountain. Or, look- 
ing northwest, the superb masses of verdure on Green 
Island are seen mirrored on the burnished surface of the 
lake. Behind rises the mighty dividing wall called 
Tongue Mountain, which seems to separate the lake in 
twain, for Ganouskie, or Northwest Bay, five miles long, 
is in effect a lake by itself, with its own peculiar features." 
The Champlain Transportation Company runs a regular 
line of steamboats the entire length of the lake, making 
three round trips daily, except Sunday. The " Horicon " 
is a fine side-wheel steamer, 203 feet long and 52 feet 
wide, and will accommodate, comfortably, 1,000 people. 

At Fort Ti the tourist can continue his northern route 
via the Dehivare & Hudson to Hotel Champlain, Platts- 
burgh. Rouse's Point, or Montreal, or through Lake Cham- 
plain by steamer. The ruins of Fort Ti, like old Fort 
Putnam at West Point, are picturesque, and will well 
repay a visit. 



196 



Far off the dreaming waters lie, 
White cascades leap in snowy foam, 

Lake Champlain mirrors cloud and sky, 
The Hudson seeks his ocean home. 

Benjamin F. Leggeit. 



Lake George to the Adirondacks. 



I^uD0on 



The reader who does not visit Lake George may feel 
that he is switched off on a side-track at Fort Edward; l^tuCt 
so, coming to his rescue, we return and resume our 
northern journey via the main line, through Dunham's 
Basin, Smith's Basin, Fort Ann, and Comstock's Land- 
ing, to— 

Whitehall, at the head of Lake Champlain. From 
this point north the Delaivare & Hudson crosses all 
thresholds for the Adirondacks, and shortens the jour- 
ney to the mountain districts. It passes through five 
mountain ranges, the most southerly, the Black Mountain 
range, terminating in Mt. Defiance, with scattering spurs 
coming down to the very shore of the lake. The second 
range is known as the Kayaderosseras, culminating in 
Bulwagga Mountain. The third range passes through 
the western part of Schroon, the northern part of Moriah 
and centre of Westport, ending in Split Rock Mountain. 
The fourth range, the Bouquet range, ends in high bluffs 
on Willsboro Bay. Here the famous Red-Hook Cut is 
located, and the longest tunnel on the line. 

The fifth range, known as the Adirondack Range, as 
it includes the most lofty of the Adirondack Mountains, 
viz.: Mclntyre, Golden and Tahawas, ends in a rocky 
promontory known as Tremblau Point, at Port Kent. 

No wonder, with these mountain ranges to get through, 
that the subject was agitated year after year, and it 
was only when the Delaware and Hudson Company placed 
their powerful shoulder to the wheel, that the work began 
to go forward. For these mountains meant tunnels, and 
rock cuts, and bridges, and cash. Leaving Whitehall, 
we enter a tunnel near the old steamboat landing, cross 
a marsh, which must have suggested the beginning of 
the Pilgrim's Progress, for it seemed almost bottomless, 
and pass along the narrow end of the lake, still marked 

107 

Afar the misty mountains piled, ' 

The Adirondacks soaring free. 
The dark green ranges lone and wild, 

The Catskills looking toward the sea. 

Benjamin F. Leggett. 



by light-houses, where steamers once struggled and panted 
" like fish out of water," fulfilling the Yankee's ambition 
of running a boat on a heavy dew. Then winding in 
and out along the shore, we proceed to — 

Ticonderoga, 23 miles from Whitehall. Here termin- 
ates the first range of the Adirondacks, to which we 
have already referred, viz.: Mount Defiance. Steamers 
connect with the train at this point on Lake Champlain, 
also with a railroad for Lake George. Near the station 
we get a view of old Fort Ticonderoga, where Ethan 
Allen breakfasted early one morning, and said grace in 
a brief and emphatic manner. The lake now widens into 
a noble sheet of water; we cross the Lake George outlet, 
enter a deep rock-cut, which extends a distance of about 
500 feet, and reach Crown Point thirty-four miles north 
of Whitehall. Passing along the shore of Bulwagga Bay 
we come to — 

Port Henry, 40 miles from Whitehall. A few miles 
further the railroad leaves the lake at Mullen Brook, 
the first departure since we left Whitehall, and we are 
greeted witli cultivated fields and a charming landscape. 

Westport, 51 miles from Whitehall, is the railroad 
station for — 

Elizabethtown, the county seat of Essex. It is about 
eight miles from the station, nestled among the moun- 
tains. A county consisting mostly of mountain scenery 
could have no happier location for a head-centre. Eliza- 
bethtown forms a most delightful gateway to the Adi- 
rondacks either by stage route or pedestrian tour. 

A short distance north of Westport we enter the well- 
cultivated Bouquet Valley, and after a pleasant run 
come to Wellsboro Falls, where we enter seven- miles of 
rock cutting. The road is about 90 feet above the lake, 
and the cuts in many places from 90 to 100 feet high. 
After leaving Red-Rock cut, we pass through a tunnel 
^00 feet long. Crossing Higby's Gorge and rounding 
Tremblau Mountain, we reach — 



198 



A health to hthan Allen and our coninuindcr Gates; 
To Lincoln and to Washington whom every Tory hates; 
Likewise unto our Congress, God ;;rant it long to reign. 
Our country's right and justice forever to maintain. 

Saratoga Revolutionary Ballad. 



i.', 

1 



Port Kent, the connecting; point for the progressive 
village of Keeseville. 

Ausable Chasm, is only three miles from the station 
of Port Kent. It is many years since we visited the 
Chasm, but its pictures are still stamped upon our mind 
clearly and definitely — the ledge at Birmingham Falls, 
the Flume, the Devil's Pulpit, and the boat ride on the 
swift current. Indeed, the entire rock-rift, almost two 
miles in length, left an impression never to be effaced. 
The one thing especially peculiar, on account of the trend 
of the rock-layers was the illusion that we were floating 
up stream, and that the river compressed in these narrow 
limits, had " got tired " of finding its way out, until it 
thought that the easiest way was to run up hill and 
get out at the top. 

Bluff Point. — On a commanding site 200 feet above 
the lake some three miles south of Plattsburgh, stands 
the superb " Hotel Champlain " commanding a view far- 
reaching and magnificent, from the Green Mountains on 
the east to the Adirondacks on the west. The hotel 
grounds comprise the same number of acres as the islands 
of Lake George, 365. The hotel is 400 feet long. We 
condense the following description from the " Delaware 
and Hudson Guide-book," which we can heartily endorse 
from many personal visits: 

" Resolute has been the struggle here with nature, where 
rocks, tangled forest and matted roots crowned the 
chosen spot; but upon the broad, smooth plateau finally 
created the Hotel Champlain has been placed, and all 
the surrounding forest, its solitudes still untamed, has 
been converted into a superb park, threaded with drives 
and bridle paths. At the foot of the gradual western 
slope of the ridge the handsome station of Bluff Point 
has been located beside the main line of the Delatvare & 
Hudson Railroad, the chief highway of pleasure and com- 
mercial travel between New York, Saratoga, Lake George, 
the Adirondacks and Canada. 



Cfte 

g)uD0on 

IRitiet 



Hear what the gray-haired woodmen tell 
Of this wild stream and its rocky dell. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



199 



II 



Cfee 
l^uD0on 



" From the station where the coaches of the hotel await 
expected guests, a winding pike, the very perfection of 
a road, leads up the hill. From the carriage, as it rises 
to the crest, a wondrous outlook to the westward is opened 
to view. Nearly a thousand square miles of valley, lake 
and mountain are within range of the eye or included 
in the area encircled by visible peaks. As the porch of 
the hotel is reached, the view, enhanced by the fine fore- 
ground, is indeed beautiful, but still finer is the grandeur 
of the scene from the arches of the tall central dome of 
the house. 

** To the southward we see Whiteface, showing, late 
in spring and early in autumn, its coronet of almost per- 
petual snow; and in a grand circle still more southward 
we see in succession Mclntyre, Marcy (both over 5,000 
feet high). Haystack, Dix, the Gothic peaks. Hurricane 
and the Giant. This noble sisterhood of mountains rises 
from the very heart of the wilderness, and yet the guests 
at the Hotel Champlain may reach any portion of their 
environment withfin a few hours." 

The fine equipment and frequent train service of the 
Delaware & Hudson between New York and Bluff Point 
without change, by daylight or at night, and the direct 
connection of the same line with the Hudson River steam- 
boats, places this resort high upon the list of available 
summering points in the dry and healthful north for 
families from the metropolis. Travel from the west, 
coming down the St. Lawrence River, or through Canada 
via Montreal, will find Bluff Point easy to reach; while 
from the White Mountains and New England seashore 
resorts it is accessible by through trains via St. Albans 
or Burlington. 

The western shore of Lake Champlain forms the margin 
of the most varied and altogether delightful wilderness 
to be found anywhere upon this continent east of the 
Rocky Mountains. The serried peaks to the westward 
are in plain view from its shores, their foot-hills ending 



100 



There lie broad acres laced with rills 
And gemmed with lake and pond 

Behind a wave of wooded hills 
And mountain peaks beyond. 

Benjamin P. Leggett. 



in lofty and often abrupt ridges where they meet the lake. 
Three impetuous rivers, the Saranac, the Salmon and the 
Ausable, flow down from the cool, clear lakes, hidden 
away in the wildwood, and, breaking through this barrier 
at and in the vicinity of Plattsburgh, contribute not only 
to the lucid waters of Lake Champlain but greatly to 
the picturesque variety of the region. 

Plattsburgh, 168 miles from Albany, at the mouth of 
the Saranac, is a delightful threshold to the Adirondacks. 
The northern part of Lake Champlain offers special at- 
tractions to camping parties. The shores and islands 
abound in excellent sites. Lake Champlain is also replete 
with interest to the historian. The ruins of Fort St. 
Anne are still seen on the north end of the Isle La Mott, 
built by the French in 1660. Valcour Strait, where one 
of the battles of '76 was fought; Valcour's Island, where 
lovers came from far and near, built air castles, wan- 
dered through these shady groves for a season or two, 
and then vanished from sight, bankrupt in everything 
but mutual affection; Cumberland Bay, with its victory, 
September, 1814, when the British were driven back to 
Canada; and many other points which can be visited by 
steamer or yacht. 

It is thirty years since I made my first trip to the 
Saranacs and I remember well the long journey of those 
early days, but now we can step aboard a well equipped 
train at Plattsburgh and in five or six hours stand by 
the bright waters of the Lower Saranac, which might 
to-day be called the centre and starting point for all 
resorts and camping grounds in the eastern lake district 
of the Adirondacks. Floating about the Saranac Islands 
of a summer evening, roaming among forest trees, stroll- 
ing over to the little village one mile distant, and absorb- 
ing the rich exhilaration of a life of untrammeled free- 
dom, with a perfect hotel, and blazing fire-places if the 
weather happens to be unpleasant, form a grand combina- 
tion, alike for tourists or seekers after rest. 



Ctie 

Q)uD0on 

Kftoer 



Where rosy zephyr lingers 

All the livelong day, 
With health upon his pinions 

And gladness on bis way. 

George P. Morris. 



201 



l^uD0on 



SOURCE OF THE HUDSON. 



In our journey from Albany to Plattsburgh, we have 
indicated various routes to the Adirondacks: By v^ay 
of Saratoga and North Creek to Blue Mountain Lake 
following the course of the Hudson which might there- 
for be called "The Hudson Gateway;" via Lake George, 
Westport, and Elizabethtown, suited for carriage and 
pedestrian trips, and via Plattsburgh, which might be 
termed " The Northern Portal." In addition to these it 
has been my lot to make several trips up the valley of 
the Sacandaga to Lake Pleasant and Indian Lake, and 
via Schroon Lake to Sanford and Lake Henderson — and 
four times to ascend the mountain trail of Tahawas to 
the tiny rills and fountains of the Hudson, but one trip 
abides in memory distinct and unrivalled, which may be 
of service to those who wish to visit in fact or fancy 
the head waters of the Hudson, 

The Tahawas Club. — We took the cars one bright 
August morning from Plattsburgh to Ausable Forks, a 
distance of twenty miles, hired a team to Beede's, some 
thirty miles distant from the "Forks;" took dinner at 
Keene, and pursued our route up the beautiful valley 
of the Ausable. 

From this point we visited Roaring-Brook Falls, some 
four hundred feet high, a very beautiful waterfall in 
the evening twilight. The next morning we started, 
bright and early, for the Ausable Ponds. Four miles 
brought us to the Lower Ausable. The historic guide, 
" old Phelps," rowed us across the lower lake, pointing 
out, from our slowly moving and heavily laden scow, 
" Indian Head " on the left, and the " Devil's Pulpit " on 



202 



1 nc nils 
That feed tlicc rise among the storied rocks 
Where Freedom built her battle-tower. 

William Walhui 



the right, lifted about eight hundred feet above the level ([^f)t 

of the lake. " Phelps " remarked with quaint humor, that 

he was frequently likened to his Satanic Majesty, as he iE)U 00011 

often took clergymen "up thar." The rocky walls of nj\lgr 

this lake rise from one thousand to fifteen hundred feet 

high, in many places almost perpendicular. A large eagle 

soared above the cliffs, and circled in the air above us, 

which we took as a good omen of our journey. 

After reaching the southern portion of the lake, a 
trail of a mile and a quarter leads to the Upper Ausable 
—the gem of the Adirondacks. This lake, over two thous- 
and feet above the tide, is surrounded on all sides by 
lofty mountains. Our camp was on the eastern shore, 
and I can never forget the sunset view, as rosy tints 
lit up old Skylight, the Haystack and the Gothics; nor 
can I ever forget the evening songs from a camp-fire 
across the lake, or the " bear story " told by Phelps, a 
tale never really finished, but made classic and immortal 
by Stoddard, in his spicy and reliable handbook to the 
North Woods. 

The next morning we rowed across the lake and took 
the Bartlett trail, ascending Haystack, some five thousand 
feet high, just to get an appetite for dinner; our guide 
encouraging us on the way by saying that there never 
had been more than twenty people before " on that air 
peak." In fact, there was no trail, and in some places 
it was so steep that we were compelled to go up on all 
fours ; or as Scott puts it more elegantly in the " Lady 
of the Lake": 

" The foot was fain 
Assistance from the hand to gain." 

The view from the summit well repaid the toil. We 
saw Slide Mountain, near by to the north, and White- 
face far beyond, perhaps twenty-five miles distant; north- 
east, the Gothics; east. Saw-teeth, Mt. Colvin, Mt. Dix, 
and the lakes of the Ausable. To the southeast, Sky- 
Eagles still claim the loftiest heights: from there 90S 
They scan with solemn eyes the scenes below — ^ "^ 
The river and the hills which shall endure 
While man's frail generations come and «o. 

E. A. Lente. 



2rf)0 light; northwest, Tahawas, still foolishly styled on some 

IhtflKtnn °^ °"^ maps, Mt. Marcy. The descent of Haystack was 
li^UU^UIl as easy as Virgil's famous "Descensus Averni." We 
IKtl)0t went down in just twenty minutes. The one that reached 
the bottom first simply possessed better adaptation for 
rolling. 

One mile from the foot of Haystack brought us to 
Panther Gorge Camp, appropriately named, one of the 
wildest spots in the Adirondacks. We remained there 
that night and slept soundly, although a dozen of us 
were packed so closely in one small camp that no indi- 
vidual could turn over without disarranging the whole 
mass. Caliban and Trinculo were not more neighborly, 
and Sebastian, even sober, would have been fully justified 
in taking us for " a rare monster " with twenty legs. 

The next morning we ascended Tahawas, but saw 
nothing save whirling clouds on its summit. Twice since 
then we have had better fortune, and looked down from 
this mountain peak, five thousand three hundred and 
forty-four feet above the sea, upon the loveliest moun- 
tain landscape that the sun ever shone upon. We went 
down the western slope of Tahawas, through a driving 
rain, to Camp Colden, where, with clothes hung up to 
dry, we looked like a party of New Zealanders preparing 
dinner, hungry enough, too, to make an orthodox meal of 
each other. The next day the weather cleared up, and 
we made a trip of two miles over a rough mountain trail 
to Lake Avalanche, whose rocky and precipitous walls 
form a fit christening bowl, or baptistery-font for the 
infant Hudson. 

Returning to Camp Colden and resuming our western 
march, two miles brought us to Calamity Pond, where 
a lone monument marks the spot of David Henderson's 
death, by the accidental discharge of a pistol. Five miles 
from this point brought us to the " Deserted Village," or 
the Upper Adirondack Iron Works, with houses and 

204 All the sad story of forest and flower. 

All the red glory of sunsetting hour, 
Comes till I seem to lie lapped in bright dreams 
Lulled by the lullaby murmur of streams. 

James Kennedy. 



furnaces abandoned, and rapidly falling into decay. Here ^|)0 
we found a cheery fireside and cordial welcome. Jhttftctntt 

Had I time to picture this level, grass-grown street, *i^WUSUIl 
with ten or fifteen square box-looking houses, windowless, JUf^I^t 
empty and desolate; a school-house with its long vacation 
of twenty-three years; a bank with heavy shutters and 
ponderous locks, whose floor. Time, the universal burglar, 
had undermined; two large furnaces with great rusty 
wheels, whose occupation was gone forever; a thousand 
tons of charcoal, untouched for a quarter of a century; 
thousands of brick waiting for a builder; a real haunted 
house, whose flapping clap-boards contain more spirits 
than the Black Forests of Germany — a village so utterly 
desolate, that it has not even the vestige of a graveyard 
— ^if I could picture to you this village, as it appeared 
to me that weird midnight, lying so quiet, 

" under the light of the solemn moon," 

you would realize as I did then, that truth is indeed 
stranger than fiction, and that Goldsmith in his " De- 
serted Village " had not overdrawn the description of 
desolate Auburn. 

By special request, we were permitted to sleep that 
night in the Haunted House and no doubt listened to 
the first crackling that the old fire-place had known for 
years. Many bedsteads in the old building were still 
standing, so we only needed bedding from the hotel to 
make us comfortable. As we went to sleep we expressed 
ii wish to be interviewed in the still hours of the night 
by any ghosts or spirits who might happen to like our 
company; but the spirits must have been absent on a 
visit that evening, for we slept undisturbed until the old 
bell, suspended in a tree, rang out the cheery notes of 
" trout and pickerel." We understand that the Haunted 
House from that night lost its old-time reputation, and 
is now frequently brought into requisition as an "Annex," 
whenever the hotel or " Club House," as it is now called. 

Stately and awful was the form of Tahawas, the old 205 

scarred warrior king of the mountains, and yet it owns 
pines that sing like the sea, brooks that warble like the 
robin, and flowers that scent the air like the orange- 
blossoms of Italy. 

Alfred B. Street. 






happens to be full. The " Deserted Village " is rich in 
natui-al beauty. Lakes Henderson and Sanford are near 
at hand, and the lovely P*reston Ponds are only five miles 
distant. 

Resuming our march through Indian Pass, under old 
Wall-Face Mountain, we reached a comfortable farm- 
house at sunset, near North Elba, known by the name 
of Scott's. The next morning we visited John Brown's 
house and grave by the old rock, and read the beautiful 
inscription, " Bury me by the Old Rock, where I used 
to sit and read the word of God." 

From this point we went to Lake Placid, engaged a 
lad to row us across the lake — some of our party had 
gone on before — and strapped our knapsacks for another 
mountain climb. We were fortunate in having a lovely 
day, and from its sparkling glacier-worn summit we could 
look back on all the mountains of our pleasant journey, 
and far away across Lake Champlain to Mount Mansfield 
and Camel's Hump of the Green Mountains, and farther 
still to the faint outlines of Mount Washington. We 
reached Wilmington that night, drove the next morning 
to Ausable Forks, and took the cars for Plattsburgh. The 
ten days' trip was finished, and at this late hour I 
heartily thank the Tahawas Club of Plattsburgh for 
taking me under their generous care and guidance. We 
took Phelps, our guide, back with us to Plattsburgh. 
When he reached the " Forks," and saw the cars for 
the first time in his life, he stooped down and, examining 
the track, said, "What tarnal little wheels." I suppose 
he concluded that if the ordinary cart had two large 
wheels, that real car wheels would resemble the Rings 
of Saturn. He saw much to amuse and interest him 
during his short stay in Plattsburgh, but after all he 
thought it was rather lonesome, and gladly returned to 
his lakes and mountains, where he slept in peace, with 
the occasional intrusion of a " Bar " or a " Painter." 
He knew the region about Tahawas as an engineer knows 



T' 



206 



Lake Avalanche with rocky wall 

And Henderson's dark-wooded shore. 

Your echoes linger still and call 
Unto my soul forevermore. 

Wallace Bruce. 



his engine, or as a Greek professor knows the pages of gri*^ 
his lexicon. He had lived so closely with nature that 
he seemed to understand her gentlest whispers, and he I^UD^Otl 
had more genuine poetry in his soul than many a man T]3|V|£f 
who chains weak ideas in tangled metre. 




INDIAN HEAD. 

Since that first delightful trip I have visited the Adi- 
rondacks many times, and I hope this summer to repeat 
the excursion. To me Tahawas is the grand centre. . It 
remains unchanged. In fact, the route I have here traced 
is the same to-day as then. Even the rude camps are 
located in the same places, with the exception that the 



The old English ballads have all the sparkle, the 
energy and the rhythm of our mountain streams, but 
Chaucer, Spenser, Shakespeare and Bunyan are the 
crystal lakes from which flow the river, ay, the Hudson 
of our language. 

Wallace Bruce. 



20^ 



JHftC trail has been shortened over Tahawas, and a camp estab- 

IhttM^nn ^^^^^^ °" Skylight. With good guides the route is not 

l^UUpUIl difficult for ladies in good health, — say sufficient health 

IRit30t ^^ endure half a day's shopping. Persons contemplating 

the mountain trip need blankets, a knapsack, and a 

rubber cloth or overcoat; food can be procured at the 

hotels or farm houses. 

In this hasty sketch I have had little space to indulge 
in picture-painting. I passed Bridal-Veil Fall without 
a reference. I was tempted to loiter on the banks of 
the Feld-spar and the bright Opalescent, but I passed by 
without even picking a pebble from the clear basins of 
its sparkling cascades. I passed the " tear of the clouds," 
four thousand feet above the tide — that fountain of the 
Hudson nearest to the sky, without being beguiled into 
poetry. I have not ventured upon a description of a sun- 
rise view from the summit of Tahawas, of the magic 
effect of light above clouds that clothe the surrounding 
peaks in garments wrought, it seems, of softest wool, 
until mist and vapor dissolve in roseate colors, and the 
landscape lies before us like an open book, which many 
glad eyes have looked upon again and again. I have left 
it for your guides to tell you, by roaring camp-fires, long 
stories of adventure in trapping and hunting, of wondrous 
fishes that grow longer and heavier every season, al- 
though captured and broiled many and many a year ago — 
trout and pickerel literally pickled in fiction, served and 
re-served in the piquant sauce of mountain vocabulary. 
In brief, I have kept my imagination and enthusiasm 
under strict control. But, after all, the Adirondacks are 
a wonderland, and we, who dwell in the Hudson and 
Mohawk valleys, are happy in having this great park 
of Nature's making at our very doors. 

It has charms alike for the hunter, the angler, the 
artist, the writer, and the scientist. Let us rejoice, 
therefore, that the State of New York is waking at 
last to the fact, that these northern mountains were 



208 



Wild umbrage far around me clings 

To breezy knoll and hushed ravine. 
And o'er each rocky headland flings 

Its mantle of refreshing green. 

Henry T. Tuckerman. 



intended by nature to be something more than lumber 
ranches, to be despoiled by the axe, and finally revert 
to the State for " taxes " in the shape of bare and deso- 
late wastes. Nor can the most practical legislator charge 
those, who wish to preserve the Adirondack woods, with 
idle sentiment; as it is now an established scientific fact 
that the rainfall of a country is largely dependent upon 
its forest land. If the water supply of the north were 
cut off, to any perceptible degree, the Hudson, during 
the months of July and August, would be a mere sluice 
of salt water from New York to Albany; and the northern 
canals, dependent on this supply, would become empty 
and useless ditches. Our age is intensely practical, but 
we are fortunate in this, that so far as the preservation 
of the Adirondacks is concerned, utility, common sense, 
and the appreciation of the beautiful are inseparably 
blended. 

To those persons w^ho do not desire long mountain 
jaunts, who simply need some quiet place for rest and 
recuperation, I would suggest this: Select some place 
near the base oi these clustered mountains, like the tasty 
Adirondack Lodge at Clear Pond, only seven miles from 
the summit of Tahawas, or Beede's pleasant hotel, high 
and dry above Keene Flats, near to the Ausable Ponds, 
or some pleasant hotel or quiet farm-house in the more 
open country near Lake Placid and the Saranacs. But 
I prophesy that the spirit of adventure will come with 
increased strength, and men and women alike will be 
found wandering off on long excursions, sitting about 
J veat camp-fires, ay, listening like children to tales which 
h. ve not gathered truth with age. If you have control 
O: your time you will find no pleasanter months than 
July, August and September, and when you return to 
your firesides with new vigor to fight the battle of life, 
you will feel, I think, like thanking the writer for having 
advised you to go thither. 

I have written in this article the Indian name, Tahawas, 



To shut up a glen or a waterfall for one man's ex- 
clusive enjoying.; to fence out a genial eye from any 
corner of the earth which nature has lovingly touched; 
to lock up trees and glades shady paths and haunts 
along rivulets, would be an embezzlement by one man 
of God's gifts to all. 

N. P. Willis. 



209 



lJ)uD0on 



^fc0 in the place of Mt. Marcy, and for this reason: There 

is no justice in robbing the Indian of his keen, poetic 
lPUP0On appreciation, by changing a name, which has in itself 
mitlEt ^ definite meaning, for one that means nothing in its 

association with this mountain. We have stolen enough 
from this unfortunate race, to leave, at least, those names 
in our woodland vocabulary that chance to have a musical 
sound to our imported Saxon ears. The name Tahawas 
is not only beautiful in itself, but also poetic in its 
interpretation — signifying " I cleave the clouds." Cole- 
ridge, in his glorious hymn, " Before sunrise in the vale 
of Chamouni," addresses Mount Blanc: 

"Around thee and above 1 

Deep Is the air and dark, substantial, black — ,1 

An ebon mass. Methinks thou piercest It. .| 

As with a loedge I " ^ 

The name or meaning of Tahawas was never made 
known to the great English poet, who died sixty years 
ago. Is it not remarkable that the untutored Indian, and 
the keenist poetic mind which England has produced for 
a century, should have the same idea in the uplifted 
mountains? There is also another reason why we, as a 
State, should cherish the name Tahawas. While the 
Sierra Nevadas and the Alps slumbered beneath the 
waves of the ocean, before the Himalayas or the Andes 
had asserted their supremacy, scientists say, that the 
high peaks of the Adirondacks stood alone above the 
waves, "the cradle of the world's life;" and, as the clouds 
then encircled the vast waste of water, Tahawas then 
rose — " Cleaver " alike of the waters and the clouds. 



210 



Tahawas, rising stern and grand, 

"Cloud-sunderer" lift thy forehead high, 

Guard well thy sun-kissed mountain land 
Whose lakes seem borrowed from the sky. 

Wallace Bruce. 



Cfte 

GEOLOGY OF THE HUDSON. 



In addition to various geological references scattered 
through these pages the following facts from an Amer- 
ican Geological Railway Guide, by James Macfarlane, 
Ph. D., will be of interest. 

" The State of New York is to the geologist what the 
Holy Land is to the Christian, and the works of her 
Palaeontologist are the Old Testament Scriptures of the 
science. It is a Laurentian, Cambrian, Silurian and De- 
vonian State, containing all the groups and all the forma- 
tions of these long ages, beautifully developed in belts 
running nearly across the State in an east and west 
direction, lying undisturbed as originally laid down. 

" The rock of New York Island is gneiss, except a 
portion of the north end, which is limestone. The south 
portion is covered with deep alluvial deposits, which 
in some places are more than 100 feet in depth. The 
natural outcroppings of the gneiss appeared on the sur- 
face about 16th Street, on the east side of the city, and 
run diagonally across to 31st Street on 10th Avenue. 
North of this, much of the surface was naked rock. It 
contains a large proportion of mica, a small proportion 
of quartz and still less feldspar, but generally an abund- 
ance of iron pyrites in very minute crystals, which, on 
exposure, are decomposed. In consequence of these 
ingredients it soon disintegrates on exposure, rendering 
it unfit for the purposes of building. The erection of 
a great city, for which this island furnishes a noble site, 
has very greatly changed its natural condition. The 
geological age of the New York gneiss is undoubtedly 

Oh, river! darkling river 1 what a voice 211 

Is that thou utterest while all else is still ! 

William Cullen Bryant. 



^hC ^^^^ ^^^' "^^ ^^^^ Laurentian or oldest, nor the Huronian, 

but it belongs to the third or White Mountain series, 
{l)UD0On named by Dr. Hunt the Montalban. It is the same range 
r^i^ll^r which is the basis rock of nearly all the great cities of 
^*^ the Atlantic coast. It crosses New Jersey where it is 

turned to clay, until it appears under Trenton, and it 
extends to Philadelphia, Baltimore, Washington and Rich- 
mond, Va., and probably Boston, Massachusetts, is founded 
on this same formation. 

"On the opposite side of the river may here be seen 
for many miles the Palisades, a long, rough mountain 
ridge close to the water's edge. Its upper half is a per- 
pendicular precipice of bare rock of a columnar structure 
from 100 to 200 feet in height, the whole height of the 
mountain being generally from 400 to 600 feet, and the 
highest point in the range opposite Sing Sing 800 feet 
above the Hudson, and known as the High Torn. The 
width of the mountain is from a half mile to a mile 
and a half, the western slope being quite gentle. In 
length it extends from Bergen Point below Jersey City 
to Haverstraw, and then westward in all 48 miles, the 
middle portion being merely a low ridge. The lower half 
of the ridge on the river side is a sloping mound of 
detritus, of loose stones which has accumulated at the 
base of the cliff, from its weathered and wasted surface. 

Viewed from the railroad or from a steamboat on 
the river, this lofty mural precipice with its huge 
weathered masses of upright columns of bare rock, pre- 
senting a long, straight unbroken ridge overlooking the 
beautiful Hudson River, is certainly extremely pictur- 
esque. Thousand of travelers gaze at it daily without 
knowing what it is. This entire ridge consists of no 
other rock than trap traversing the Triassic formation 
in a huge vertical dike. The red sandstone formation of 
New Jersey is intersected by numerous dikes of this kind, 
but this is much the finest. The materials of this moun- 
tain have vmdoubtedly burst through a great rent or 

212 Like thine, O, be my course — nor turned aside. 

While listening to the soundings of a land. 
That like the ocean call invites me to its strand. 
mrs. Seba Smith. 



fissure in the strata, overflowing* while in a melted or ^TftC 
plastic condition the red sand-stone, not with the violence ^^ ^ 
of a volcano, for the adjoining strata are but little dis- l3UD0On 
turbed in position, although often greatly altered by the J^jjj^j 
heat, but forced up very slowly and gradually, and prob- 
ably under pressure. Subsequent denudation has laid 
bare the part of the mountain now exposed along the 
river. The rock is columnar basalt, sometimes called 
greenstone, and is solid, not stratified like water-formed 
rocks, but cracked in cooling and of a crystalline structure. 
Here is a remarkable but not uncommon instance of a 
great geological blank. On the east side of this river 
the formations belong to the first or oldest series of 
Primary or Crystalline rocks, while on the west side they 
are all Triassic, the intermediate Cambrian, Silurian, 
Devonian and Carboniferous formations being wanting. 
This state of things continues all along the Atlantic coast 
to Georgia, the Cretaceous or Jurassic taking the place 
of the Triassic farther south. 

" Montrose to Cornwall. This celebrated passage of 
the Hudson through the Highlands, is a gorge nearly 
20 miles long from 3 miles south of Peekskill to Fishkill, 
and is worn out of the Laurentian rocks far below mean 
tide water. The hills on its sides rise in some instances 
as much as 1,800 feet, and in many places the walls 
are very precipitous. The rock is gneiss, of a kind that 
is not easily disintegrated or eroded, nor is there any 
evidence of any convulsive movement. It is clearly a 
case of erosion, but not by the present river, which has 
no fall, for tide water extends 100 miles up the river 
beyond the Highlands. This therefore was probably a 
work mainly performed in some past period when the 
continent was at a higher level. Most likely it is a 
valley of great antiquity. 

"Opposite Fishkill is Newburgh, which is in the great 
valley of Lower Silurian or Cambrian limestone and 
^late. North of that, on the west side of the river, the 

Amid thy forest solitudes one climbs 213 

O'er crags, that proudly tower above the deep, ^ 

Along the verge of the cliff, and he can hear 
The low dash of the wave with startled ear. 

Fitz-Greene Halleck. 



ftrhc formations occur in their usual order, their outcrops 

running northeast and southwest. On the X. Y. C. & 

!^UD0On H. R. R. R., on the east side, the same valley crosses, 

XJZiSwr ^^^ ^^® slates from Fishkill to Rhinebeck are about the 

iiXiVtl same place in the series; but being destitute of fossils 

and very much faulted, tilted and disturbed, their precise 

geology is uncertain. See the exposures in the cuts at 

Poughkeepsie. The high ground to the east is commonly 

called the Quebec group. 

"A series of great dislocations with upthrows on the 
east side traverse eastern North America from Canada 
to Alabama. One of these great faults has been traced 
from near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, keeping 
mostly under the water up to Quebec just north of the 
fortress, thence by a gently curving line to Lake Cham- 
plain or through western Vermont across Washington 
County, N. Y., to near Albany. It crosses the river near 
Rhinebeck 15 miles north of Poughkeepsie and continues 
on southward into New Jersey and runs into another 
series of faults probably of a later date, which extends 
as far as Alabama. It brings up the rocks of the so 
called Quebec group on the east side of the fracture to 
the level of the Hudson River and Trenton. 

" Catskill Mountains. For many miles on this railroad 
are beautiful views of the Catskill Mountains, 3,800 feet 
high, several miles distant on the opposite or west side 
of the river, and which furnish the name for the Catskill 
formation. The wide valley between them and the river 
is composed of Chemung, Hamilton, Lower Helderberg 
and Hudson River. The geology on the east or railroad 
side is entirely different, 

"Albany. The clay beds at Albany are more than 100 
feet thick, and between that city and Schenectady they 
are underlaid by a bed of sand that is in some places 
more than 50 feet thick. There is an old glacial clay 
and boulder drift below the gravel at Albany, but Pro- 
fessor Hall says it is not the estuary stratified clay." 

214 There has that little stream of water been playing 

among the hills since He made the world, and none 
know how often the hand of God is seen in a wilder- 
ness but them that rove it for a man's life. 

James Fenimore Cooper. 



THE HUDSON TIDE. 



(Condensed from article by permission of writer.) 

The tide in the Hudson River is the continuation of 
the tide-wave, which comes up from the ocean through 
New York Bay, and is carried by its own momentum one 
hundred and sixty miles, growing, of course, constantly 
smaller, until it is finally stopped by the dam at Troy. 
The crest of this wave, or top high water, is ten hours 
going from New York to Troy. A steamer employing 
the same time (ten hours) for the journey, and starting 
at high water in New York, would carry a flood tide 
and highest water all the way, and have an up-river cur- 
rent of about three miles an hour helping her. On the 
other hand, the same steamer starting six hours later, 
or at low tide, would have dead low water and an ebb 
tide current of about three miles against her the entire 
way. The average rise and fall of the tides in New York 
is five and one-half feet, and in Troy, about two feet. 

Flood tide may carry salt water, under the most favor- 
able circumstances, so that it can be detected at Pough- 
keepsie; ordinarily the water is fresh at Newburgh. 

To those who have not studied the tides the following 
will also be of interest. 

The tides are the semi-diurnal oscillations of the ocean, 
caused by the attraction of the moon and sun. 

The influence of the moon's attraction is the preponder- 
ating one in the tide rising force, while that of the sun 
is about two-fifths as much as that of the moon. The 
tides therefore follow the motion of the moon, and the 
average interval between the times of high water is the 
half length of the lunar day, or about twelve hours and 
twenty-five minutes. 



Nor lives there one whose boyhood's days 
Of happiness were passed beneath that sun, 
That in his manhood-prime can calmly gaze 
Upon that Bay, or on that mountain stand. 
Nor feel the prouder of his native land. 

Fitz-Greene Halleck. 



215 



Cfte 



Cl)e 
l^uD0on 



CONDENSED POINTS. 



As Seen on the Hudson River Day Line Steamers. 

Desbrosses Street Pier. On leaving landing a charm- 
ing view is obtained of New York Harbor with Bartholdi 
Statue to the south. 

Stevens Castle. Above Jersey City docks on the west, 
crowning a commanding site. 

St. MichaeVs Monastery, or Monastery of the Passion- 
ist Fathers, on west bank above Elysian Fields; dis- 
tinguished by large dome and towers of the St. Paul 
(London) style of architecture. This dome is 300 feet 
high, and its summit is 515 feet above the Hudson. 

A2d Street Pier. Midway to the dwellers of Greater 
New York and convenient to all Elevated, Subway and 
Trolley Lines. 

Weehatvken, on the west bank, about opposite 50th 
Street. Near the river bank was the scene of the Hamil- 
ton and Burr duel, 1804. 

Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument, 89th Street, New York. 
Dedicated May 30, 1902. Corner stone laid in 1900 by 
President Roosevelt when Governor. 

Columbia University. Stately buildings on east bank. 

St. Luke's Hospital. Beautiful dome in the distance 
southeast of college. 

The Cathedral of St. John the Divine, now in construc- 
tion, will be one of the finest structures in the world. 

General Grant's Tomb at Riverside Drive and 123d 
Street. 

129th Street Pier. Above this landing is the Steel 
Viaduct of the Boulevard Drive. 



216 



The land that from the rule of kings 

In freeing us itself made free, 
Our old world sister to us brings 

Her sculptured dream of liberty. 

John G. Whitiier. 



Carmansville (where Audubon, the ornithologist lived), xLyt 
a city suburb at 152d Street. ihtltl^nU 

Trinity Cemetery, 152d Street, and above this Audubon '^ 
Park. KiUet 

Old Fort Washington once crowned the hills on the east 
bank. Fort Lee was almost opposite on the southern 
point of the Palisades. 

Steiuart Castle, east bank, formerly owned by A. T. 
Stewart. 

University of City of New i ork with dome, in distance. 

Inwood. Station on the Hudson River Railroad, above 
the heights. Place once known as Tubbie Hook. 

Palisades, on west bank, extend fifteen miles from Fort 
Lee to Piermont, a sheer wall of trap rock from 300 
to 500 feet high. 

Spuyten Duyvil, on east bank northern boundary of 
Manhattan Island. 

Site of Fort Independence, east bank, on height north 
of Spuyten Duyvil. 

Riverdale Station. Station on the Hudson River Rail- 
road above Spuyten Duyvil. Yonkers rising on the green 
slope to the north; and the Palisades blending in the 
far distance with green headlands of the Ramapo Range. 

Convent of Mount St. Vincent. The gray, castle-like 
structure in front, was once the home of Edwin Forrest. 

Yonkers, seventeen miles from Battery. 

Greystone, on east bank, crowning hill, about one and a 
half miles north of Yonkers. Once property of Samuel 
J. Tilden. 

Hastings, pleasant village on east bank. 

Indian Head (510 feet), opposite Hastings, highest 
point of Palisades. 

Dobb's Ferry, on east bank, named after an old Swedish 
ferryman. 

Cottinet Place, on east bank, built of stone brought from 
France. Easily distinguished by light shade through trees. 

George L. Schuyler's Residence, near east bank. The 

From this brow of rock 917 

That overlooks the Hudson's western marge, -^^i 

I gaze upon the long array of groves, 
The piles and gulfs of verdure drinking in the grateful 
heat. 

William Cullen Bryant. 



Cbe 
^uD0on 



late Col. James A. Hamilton's house almost east of Mr. 
Schuyler's. Stiner's place distinguished by its large dome. 

Ardsley, on east bank, just above Dobb's Ferry. 

Ardsley Club and Golf Links. 

Irvington, 24 miles from New York, named after Wash- 
ington Irving. 

Piermont, on west bank, with pier almost one mile in 
length extending into river. 

Sunny side, home of Washington Irving, east bank, one- 
half mile north of Irvington Station, close to river bank 
and scarcely seen through the trees. 

Helen M. Gould's Residence, east bank, prominent Abbey- 
like structure, known as " Lyndehurst." 

Tarrytotvn, east bank, 26 miles from New York. 

Nyack, west bank, opposite Tarrytown. 

J. D. Rockefeller's New Home on Kykuit or Kake-out 
Mt. back of Tarrytown. 

Tappan Zee, reaching from Dobb's Ferry to Croton 
Point, is about three miles wide at Tarrytown. 

Sleepy Hollow, east bank, north of Tarrytown; burial 
place of Washington Irving. The tall shaft visible from 
steamer, erected by the Delavan family, is near his grave. 

Kingsland Point, east bank, above lighthouse. 

Rockwood, home of William Rockefeller. One of the 
most imposing residences on the river. 

Mrs. Elliot F. Shepard's Residence, on east bank. 

Ramapo Mountains, on west side above Nyack, known 
as " Point No Point." 

Ossining, on east bank, six miles north of Tarrytown. 
Prison buildings are near the river below the village. 

Rockland Lake, opposite Sing Sing, between two hills; 
source of the Hackensack River. 

Croton River, on east bank, meets the Hudson one mile 
above Sing Sing; crossed by drawbridge of the Hudson 
River Railroad. 

Teller's Point. That part of Croton Point which juts 



218 



O Tappan Zee ! with peaceful hills, 
And slumbrous sky and drowsy air, 

Thy calm and restful spirit stills 

The heart weighed down with weary care. 

Wallace Bruce. 



into the Hudson. This point separates Tappan Zee from 
Haverstraw Bay. 

Haverstraiu Bay, widest part of the river; over four 
miles in vi^idth. 

West Shore R. R. Tunnel under mountain. 

West Shore Railroad, west bank, meets the Hudson 
south of Haverstraw. 

Haverstraw, on west bank, with two miles of brickyards. 

Treason Hill, where Arnold and Andre met at the house 
of Joshua Hett Smith, northwest of Haverstraw. 

Stony Point, west bank. Lighthouse built on site and 
from the material of old fort captured from British by 
Anthony Wayne in 1778. 

Verplank's Point, on east shore, full of brickyards. 
It was here Baron Steuben drilled the soldiers of '76. 

Tonipkin's Cove, on west bank. Lime kilns and quarries. 

Peekskill, east bank, pleasantly located on Peekskill 
Bay. 

New York State Encampment, on bluff north of Peeks- 
kill Creek. 

Kidd's Point, on west bank, where steamer enters High- 
lands almost at a right angle. 

Dunderherg Mountain, west bank, forming with Manito 
Mountain on the east southern portal of Highlands. 

lona Island, former pleasure resort for excursions, now 
converted to Government use. 

The Race. The river channel is so termed by navi- 
gators, between lona Island and the east bank. 

Anthony's Nose, east bank, with railroad tunnel. 

Montgomery Creek, on west side, empties into the Hud- 
son about opposite the point of Anthony's Nose. Fort 
Clinton was on the south side of this creek, and Fort 
Montgomery on the north side. 

J. Pierpont Morgan's Residence, on west bank. 

Sugar-Loaf, east bank, resembling an old " sugar-loaf " 
to one looking north from Anthony's Nose. 



lJ)uD0on 



From Stony Point to' Bemis Height, 

From Saratoga to the sea, 
We trace the lines, now dark, now bright. 

From seventy-six to eighty-three. 

Wallace Bruce. 



219 



Cfte 

1DUD0OU 

Lliuet 



220 



the 



Republic as you 



Let us toast our foster-father, 

know — 
Who in the path of science taught us upward for to go— 
And the maidens of our native land whose cheeks like 

roses glow, 
They're oft remembered in our songs, at Benny Havens 

—oh! 

Benny Havens, West Point. 



Beverley Dock, at foot of Sugar-Loaf, from which point 
Arnold fled to the " Vulture." 

Lady-Cliff Academy, (west side) on bluff. 

Hamilton Fish's Residence, on hill, east side. 

William H. Osborne's Residence, on east bank; house 
with pointed tower north of Sugar-Loaf. 

Sam Sloa7i's lookout tower, east side, on top of moun- 
tain. Residence on hillside below. 

Buttermilk Falls, on west bank. 

West Point, 50 miles from New York, Academy Build- 
ings and Parade Grounds. 

Memorial Hall, building on bluff above landing. 

Kosciusko's Garden with monument and spring below 
Memorial. 

Garrison, opposite West Point on east bank. 

Fort Putnam (596 feet), above the Hudson on west. 

West Point Hotel, west bank, wide outlook to the north. 

Battle Monument, surmounted by Statue of " Victory." 

Constitution Island, on east bank; chain was thrown 
across the river at this point during the Revolution. 

Old Cro' Nest, picturesque mountain north of West 
Point on west bank. 

Cold Spring, on east bank, opposite Old Cro' Nest. 

Undercliff, once the home of George P. Morris, on slope 
north of Cold Spring. 

Break Neck Mountain, on east bank, from which point 
the Highlands trend away to the northeast, known as the 
Beacon Mountains or the Fishkill Range. 

Stoi^m King, on west bank, marking northern portal of 
the Highlands. 

Cornwall, under the slope of Storm King. 

PollopeVs Island, at northern portal of the Highlands. 

Idlewild, above Cornwall, former home of N. P. Willis. 

Washington's Headquarters, Newburgh, seen as the boat 
approaches the city. A flag-staff marks the point. 

Neivhurgh, west bank, 59 miles from New York. 

Fishkill Landing, on east bank, opposite Newburgh. 



Low Point or Carthage, 4 miles above Fishkill. 

Devil's Dans Kammer, point on west bank covered with 
cedars. 

Neiv Hamburg, above Low Point, on the east side. 

Hampton Pohit, opposite New Hamburgh. Here are 
the finest white cedars on the river. 

Irving GrinnelVs Residence, " Netherwood," east bank, 
just distinguished through the trees. 

Shaivangiink Mountains, on the west side, reach away 
in the distance toward the Catskills. 

Marlborough and Milton, on west bank. 

Locust Grove. Home of the late Prof. S. F. B. Morse 
on east bank, with square central tower. 

The Lookout, a wooded hill owned by Poughkeepsie 
Cemetery. 

Livingston Place, now occupied by a rolling mill. 

Vassar Brothers Hospital, brick building on the hillside. 

Poughkeepsie, 74 miles from New York. 

Poughkeepsie Bridge, 12,608 feet in length. Track 212 
feet above tide-water. 

Mrs. John F. Winslow's Residence, seen through open- 
ing of trees on east bank. 

Hudson River State Hospital. Large red buildings on 
east bank, two miles north of Poughkeepsie. 

Hyde Park, on the east side. 

Residence of Frederick W. Vanderbilt, with white marble 
Corinthian columns. 

Manresa Institute, large building above Crum Elbow, 
on west side. 

A. R. Frothingham. Grecian portico with columns. 

John Burrough's brown stone cottage, north of Froth- 
ingham's. 

The Novitiate of the Redemption Fathers, a large new 
building on west bank at Esopus. 

Staatsburgh, on east side. Dock and ice houses in fore- 
ground. 



While fashion seeks the islands 

Encircled by the sea, 
Taste finds the Hudson Highlands 

More beautiful to see. 

George P. Morris. 



221 



Cf)e 



Cfte 
g)uD0on 



D. 0. Mills* Mansio72, palatial residence on the east bank 
above Staatsburgh. 

Dinsmore's Residence, a large building charmingly j 
located on Dinsmore Point, east bank. 

Ellerslie, residence of Ex-Vice-President Levi P. Mor- 
ton, below Rhinecliff. 

Rhinecliff, on east bank. 

City of Kingston, embraces Kingston and Rondout. 

Kingston Point. Delightful park and picnic grounds 
near the landing. 

Old Beekman Place, on east bank, a short distance 
above Rhinecliff. One of the old Revolutionary houses. 

Ferncliff, Residence of John Jacob Astor. Fine villa 
with pointed tower. 

Ont-of-Door Sports. A large building on east bank, 
erected by Mr. Astor. 

Garretson Place, north of Ferncliff, on east bank. 

" Leacote," Douglas Merritt's Residence, north of Clif- 
ton Point. 

Flathush, on west bank opposite Clifton Point. 

Rokeby, Residence of late William B. Astor, above 
Astor's Point. 

Barrytoivn, on east side. 

Aspimvall Place, north of Barrytown, formerly John 
R. Livingston's place. 

Montgomery Place, east bank, among the trees. 

"Annandale," name of John Bard's place. East of 
this is St. Stephen's College, a training school for the 
ministry. 

Crnger's Residence, on Cruger's Lsland — once called 
Lower Red Hook Island. 

Tivoli, on east side, 100 miles from New York. 

Glasco, south of Tivoli on the west side. J 

Sangerties, on the west side. 1 

Idele, property of Miss Clarkson, known as the old 
Chancellor Place, on east bank. 

Hotel Kaaterskill is plainly seen from this point. 



222 



O would that she were here, 

Sure Eden's garden-plot, 
Did not embrace more varied charms 

Than this romantic spot. 

George P. Morris. 



Maiden, above Saugerties, on west side. xLt^t 

Clermont, above Tivoli. The original Livingston "^^^<)^«lhtttlgntt 

West Camp, on west side, above Maiden. '^ 

Four County Island. The " meeting point " of Dutchess,lRtuCt 
Columbia, Greene and Ulster. 

Germantown, on east side, 105 miles from New York. 

Man in the Mountain. Between Germantown and Cats- 
kill we get a fine view of the reclining giant, traced by 
the following outline: — the peak to the south is the knee; 
the next to the north is the breast; and two or three above 
this, the chin, the nose, and the forehead. 

Roeliff Jansen's Kill meets the Hudson on east bank 
above what is known by the pilots as Nine Mile Tree. 

Herman Livingstones Residence, on point above. 

Catskill Creek joins the Hudson south of Catskill. 

Catskill, 110 miles from New York. Route from this 
point to Catskill Mountains, via Catskill Mountain Rail- 
road. 

Prospect Park Hotel, on west bank, north of Catskill. 

Cole's Grove, north of Catskill. Here was the resi- 
dence of Thomas Cole, the artist. 

Frederick E. Church's Residence. One of the most 
commanding sites and finest residences, opposite Catskill. 

Rodger's Island, on the east side, where the last battle 
was fought between the Mohawks and the Mahicans. 

Mount Merino, two miles north of Roger's Island. 

State Reformatory for Women, on bluff south of Hudson. 

Hudson, 115 miles from New York. Promenade Hill 
just north of landing. 

Athens, quiet village, on the west bank. 

Stockport. On east side, four miles north of Hudson, 
near the mouth of Columbiaville Creek, formed by the 
union of the Kinderhook and Claverack Creeks. 

Four-mile Point. On west side, about 125 feet high; 
four miles from Hudson and four from Coxsackie. 

Coxsackie. On west side, 8 miles from Hudson. 



For while the beautiful moon arose, 
And drifted the boat in the yellow beams, 

My soul went down the river of thought 
That flows in the mystic land of dreams. 

Richard Henry Stoddard. 



223 



Che >^ewtown Hook, opposite Coxsackie. The wooded point 

^ is called Prospect Grove. 

^UD0On Stuyvesant. On the east side. Once called Kinderhooki 
RlVlPr Landing. 

liVlU^i: Schodack Island. On east side, about two miles above' 

Stuyvesant. The island is about 3 miles long. 

Neiv Baltimore. About opposite the centre of Schodack 
Island; fifteen miles from Hudson and fifteen from 
Albany. The Government dykes begin opposite New Bal- 
timore. 

Berren Island. Site of the famous " Castle of Rensse- 
laerstien." 

Coeymans. Right above Berren Island. Above Coey- 
mans is what is known as the Coeyman's Cross Over. 

Shad Island. The first island to the westward above 
Coeymans; 3 miles long; old Indian fishing ground. 

Castleton, on east bank, in the town of Schodack. 

Mourdeners Kill, a small stream which empties into 
the Hudson above Castleton. 

Sunyiyside Island near east bank. 

Cedar Hill, above, on west bank. 

Staats Island, settled by the Staats family before the 
arrival of the Van Rensselaers. 

The Overslaugh reaches from Van Wies' Point (the 
first point above Cedar Hill), on east bank, about two 
miles up the river. 

Albany, 142 miles from New York, is now near at hand, 
and we see to the south the Convent of the Sacred Heart; 
to the north the Cathedral, the Capitol, the State House, 
the City Hall, etc. 

Rensselaer, opposite. Connected with Albany by ferries 
two railroad bridges, and carriage bridge. 

Old Van Rensselaer Place. One of the Van Rensselaer 
houses on the east bank, built before the Revolution. The 
tourist will note the port holes on either side of the door 
as defense against Indians. 



224 In love to the deep-bosomed stream of the west 

I fling this loose blossom to float on its breast. 
Oliver Wendell Holmes. 



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